My Happily Ever After?
by MidnightThunder
Summary: Kioko Yukimura has went through lots of downright disheartening things in her life. Despite it all, Kioko has hope. Does a certain Host have what she's looking for? Or will she forever be her own Knight in Shining Armor? My first fanfic; go easy on me!
1. Introduction

My Happily Ever After?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club and all its characters/places/original ideas, just the OC(s?) and my own random ideas. Ouran belongs to the ingenious Bisco Hatori (author) and ****Takuya Igarashi**** (anime director). **Sorry in advance if the original characters are a little OOC.

Review or message please. This is my first work on fanfiction…so be gentle with me? **Thanks in abundance. :)**

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_Once upon a time, I had a lot of goals and dreams for the future. Most people out there hesitate to grab the bull by the horns, but not me… _

_I opened my eyes to a brighter future, wanting not only what's best for me, but for the others around me as well. You could say that I'd give anything just to see smiles all round, regardless of any tragedy we come across. I, myself, have come across failure, illness, and death among those I hold dear—I came close to It myself. And yet, I never expected to fall as hard as I had now. _

_My story wasn't what you'd call a fairytale, if you even knew of what I went through. I thought that if I waited and kept my faith, eventually I would be my own "knight in shining armor" to my "Cinderella story". I can say that I'm a pretty independent person, but never one to push others away. It was just that growing up, I had to look after myself. I didn't really mind, but that never made it any easier. Anyhow, the past is dealt with and I'm here to live in the now. _

_As luck would have it, I never got my "happily ever after" that I was looking towards, if one even exists. So I guess…sometimes you have to accept that—no matter how heartbreaking and tear-jerking—it just wasn't meant to be._

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**© 2010 MidnightThunder. All rights reserved. **Disclaimer apparent on the top of the page; please view. I love you all but any plagiarism results in giving me permission to kick your ass into the middle of May. **Thx. :)**


	2. Tokyo Jitters

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club and all its characters/places/original ideas, just the OCs and my own random ideas. Ouran belongs to the ingenious Bisco Hatori (author) and ****Takuya Igarashi**** (anime director). **Sorry in advance if the original characters are a little OOC.

Review or message please. This is my first work on Fanfiction…so be gentle with me? **Thanks in abundance. :)**

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**Chapter One:**

"Ah, Tokyo! Just as brilliant as they say!"

I glanced up at the blue skies, taking in a deep breath. And soon enough I regretted that…

I started coughing from a putrid odor, and glared at a man standing not too far away from me. He glanced up, simply lifted the cigarette to his lips, and blew the smoke in my direction. Well then…he can go and die of lung cancer.

I paused. Wait, what am I saying? That's horrible! To wish for something like that…still, he _is_ ruining the environment. Then again, people smoke all the time and live to be very old.

"_Now, now…my little angel. You shouldn't worry about an old man like me. I can smoke these and live to tell the tale of how I survived!" He started laughing whole-heartedly, as if someone told him a hilarious joke._

"_Hey! Don't go on encouraging her to smoke too." The woman held a look of annoyance, but kept a small smile on her face. The man stopped short of breath, glanced at his loving wife, and grinned._

I soon found the corner of my lips tugging upwards as well. I guess I shouldn't have breathed in so deeply, small flies could have gone up! I grimaced, disgusted by the possibility. Taking another glance at the man, he had ditched the cigarette and was smiling widely.

Don't get the wrong idea, it wasn't at me. Rather, it was at the little girl bouncing her way to him. And I mean that literally. A woman joined her and they exchanged greetings and took off together. Yeah…life isn't so bad after all.

"Kioko! Kioko Yukimura! Stop daydreaming and let's go!"

I surveyed my surroundings until I saw a familiar pair of chocolate brown eyes. My dazed look turned into one of joy.

"Haru!" I rushed into his open arms like a mad woman, gaining several looks—both kind and annoyed—from the bystanders. "You're early." I mumbled into his coat jacket, happiness practically radiating from me. Nonetheless, he understood every word…or at least I think he did judging from the confused look he was giving me.

"Uh…what do you mean? Your plane landed half an hour ago. I actually expected you to yell my ear off." I glanced at my cell phone and confirmed the time. Wow…I must've been out of it. Wait a minute…it's 8:54 am! I'm supposed to meet with the dean at 9:05!

"_Kuso_, Haru! I'm supposed to be shaking hands and exchanging smiles with the dean of Ouran in eleven minutes! It takes 20 minutes to get there, not to mention finding the correct room! What the hell man!"

"_Now_ you freak out. Whatever…get your bags, and oh, once we get in the car buckle up tight."

"Why?" I asked grabbing a hold of my luggage consisting of a duffle bag, one large suitcase, my purse, and side-backpack. I have to remind myself that I must be nicer to Haru, so that he'll do stuff for me more often…like carry my bags. And answer my questions.

* * *

I found out why I had to secure myself, the hard way.

There was no "Oh yeah, Kioko, you should buckle up now as a safety precaution. The ride to school may be less than enjoyable on both our parts." Instead all I got was a "Hang on" and a creepy smile from him. Before I could even say "What for?" we were zooming down the highway, zigzagging through cars. And that was the moderate part.

He nearly hit 5 lampposts, 2 dog-walkers, 3 buses, a class of middle school students while they were in P.E. (he decided to take a "short cut"…no further details), a lady crossing the street, 7 other cars, an ambulance (oh the irony), and this poor little boy who may be in shock right now.

I'm usually all for adrenaline rushes, but not after getting off an airplane. I could hear people murmuring as they witness some random girl lying face down on the pavement. Sadly, that girl is me.

Without looking up, I said to the person nudging me with their foot, "Quit it before I fry you up like tempura sushi and personally feed you to Godzilla." Whoever the poor soul was, scrambled off in fear. I dusted myself off and glared darkly at the man who was to blame.

"Haru…" I warned, taking a few steps towards him. He put his hands up in surrender and laughed sheepishly. "Now Kioko…don't want to be late for that big meeting right?" he said in a tone equivalent of "Holy crap I'm so dead unless you forget all about me using important news". Sudden realization dawned on me as I glanced at the huge clock tower that read 9 o'clock, the bell chiming. That's when I began sprinting through the doors of Ouran muttering "Sorry" and "Excuse me" to any students that may have been lurking about, stopping only once for directions. Finally, I saw the double doors I've been searching for. I tried skidding to a halt as I neared the doorway but my legs weren't slowing down quickly enough. My eyes widened as the door's accents and carvings came into better view.

"Oh shit." I muttered before slamming into the door and falling gracefully (not) to the floor.

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"Understand that you need to hold more responsibilities as a student. I've already allowed you to take part in that silly club of yours—that…that host club."

"Please excuse me of any misbehavior on my part. I didn't mean for you to burden yourself with the activities I partake in. It is only my wish to grant the desires of the illustrious females of Ouran Academy."

"I know very well of your dream. But you need to focus on your schoolwork to ensure that you are able enough to surpass myself."

"Yes father, I understand the situation. Allow the Ouran Host Club to remain active, if you will. I will make sure that my priorities are in order."

"…I—" *Thump* "What was that?"

"Ow…not my smartest idea. At least I managed to miss the handle" murmured a quiet voice from the other side.

Both males looked to the door in confusion, but the elder one that sat behind the desk continued "…I will look into things. Upon stronger analysis of your workmanship, I will make a final decision. For now, the Host Club can resume its activities. I'm well aware of those in the club of yours; make sure as not to degrade the children of highly-esteemed families…as it seems, we have a guest in our presence," he said, noting the previous 'thump'.

The younger male nodded in understanding, locking eyes with the man sitting in front of the window. An abrupt knock disturbed their eye contact, and once again their attention was on the double doors. Or rather, the person that entered.

* * *

"Ow…not my smartest idea. At least I managed to miss the handle." I carefully got up and brushed myself off, only to hear some murmuring from the other side. When it got all quiet, or hopefully it did, I did the standard knock of 3 hits and waited. After hearing a regal voice saying "Come in", I entered the room.

Immediately, my eyes shifted to the clock tower through the large window that read 9:05. I sighed inwardly; I made it on time. That was when I finally noticed the man sitting at the desk, watching me carefully. Oh _Kami_, that did it.

I started twiddling my fingers behind my back, but locked eyes with the man, breaking the contact only to bow lowly. "You must be the new student, Kikyo is it?" asked the man.

"Actually, sir, it's Kioko. Yukimura, Kioko to be exact." I stated as strongly as possible, swallowing the nervousness I felt as I stood upright. The man looked pleased to hear the formality laced in my words and nodded. "Yes, please excuse my misconception. I do hope that your journey here was not too much of hassle? I understand that you have just recently departed from your flight."

Lying wasn't exactly my thing...but I wasn't about to tell him that I nearly died on my way over. "It was no trouble at all…?" I searched for a name of some sort. "Yuzuru Suoh," he replied. "Suoh-san" I completed, unbeknownst to another person in the room.

Not too long after, Mr. Suoh began informing me of the ways of Ouran Academy, schedules, activities, and a whole lot more. I also learned that I will be the newest addition to Class 1-A…meaning a lot of staring at me for the first few weeks. Great.

Soon afterward, the conversation died off. Glancing to the clock tower, it read 9:49. Forty-four minutes already? Haru must be getting antsy—Oo-er. Shut up brain! This is no time for perverse thoughts. I held my breath, making sure as to not start rambling off about nothing like I usually do in an awkward situation.

"Pardon me for the interruption, but I was inquiring when my I should pick up my uniform…?" Stupid. Interrupt what? No one was talking!

"We will deliver it to place you are residing at, the Yoshida residence." The Yoshida residence? That makes Haru sound like an old man! I bit my lip to keep from laughing; I made it this far and might as well get out of here before it gets ugly. "I don't want to come off as rude, but if we are finished here…may I…?"

An amused smile reached his lips, "Ah yes! How rude of me, I forgot to make the proper introductions," I looked at him oddly, "my son, Second Year, Tamaki Suoh." He gestured to my far left, indicating the fact that there was someone sitting patiently at the side. The person walked in my direction, extending his hand out. "Hello, Miss Yukimura. I hope that your experience at Ouran Academy will be a pleasant one." I took in his features: light blond hair, good jaw & cheekbone prominence, nice built, taller than average, and…deep purple eyes with blue flecks that I could stare into for hours. C-crap, I _am_ staring.

"U-uh, nice to meet you…I'm K-kioko, er—Yukimura." I said, taking a hold of his hand. At least he was nice enough to smile back. "Tamaki, will you be kind enough to give Miss Yukimura a tour of the Academy? She will need to know her way around here starting Monday, after all." I heard the Dean say. Spend the morning with a handsome guy; I can check that off my list. "Well, Miss Yukimura—should we get started?" I heard the boy say. Man I am out of it; when did he move to the door?

I nodded to him, and remembered to bow before leaving the office. That wasn't as bad as I thought. "Phew."

"Excuse me?"

"O-oh! It's just, I'm a little bit nervous about Monday..." Smooth Kioko…

"This place seems really big, but I'm sure you'll fit in fine," he said sincerely. "Where should we go first?" I noticed we stopped in front of the same huge flight of stairs I ran up earlier. It's amazing I still have feeling in my legs.

"Anywhere is fine, best know my stuff right?"

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If I thought my legs were fine before, I sure am tired now. I checked my cell phone, it read 11:25. I wonder what Haru is doing?

"Who's is this 'Haru' you speak of?" What? Great, I said that out loud!

"H-he's my uncle, I moved to Tokyo to live with him. And now here I am!" He chuckled at my excited tone; I can feel the heat rising in my cheeks. "U-um, it's T-tamaki right? Thanks for showing my—me!—around. Er, I think I know where everything is now." We finally stopped walking and I glanced at the sign that read 'Music Room 3'.

"There's a Music Room at this school?" I mused.

He glanced at me, "Yeah, do you play?" I nodded in response.

Remembering me, I shouted out, "Haru! He's probably gonna _kill_ me for how long I'm taking! S-sorry Tamaki I have to leave."

"Would you like me to escort you out?" He asked politely. I shook my head, "No, thank you for offering though. But I have to go. I hope to see you around!" Right then, I took off sprinting, finding the grand staircase. I nearly fell on my face once, but kept going. Bursting out of the doors I yelled out, "Hey Haru where'd ya go!"

"Damn, it's about time! I'm starving over here. We needa head back to my place." I looked in the direction of his voice and made my way over to the car. "For a second there, I thought you'd left me to walk home or something…not that I'd know how to get there." He quirked an eyebrow at my use of the word 'home', but got in the car anyways.

"Don't tempt me."

A bit cautious of his response, I practically jumped into the passenger seat and he drove off into the sunset. Just kidding, it's morning! But that would be something, huh?

I looked out the window, gazing at the welcoming faces as people greeted one another. To them, this was just another morning. For me, this was a new beginning.

…You know, I think I'll really like Tokyo. "Why do you keep talking to yourself?" I looked to Haru, and back out the window in embarrassment. I said that out loud, didn't I…?

"Yea, you did."

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Chapter One est fini! What did you think? I know it was sorta informal writing, as in it sounds like inside the mind of a teenager...because it was. Except for the Tamaki/Yuzuru conversation. I felt really smart with all the sophistication in the language. (:

Tamaki: MT (MidnightThunder) you're so adorable when you feel accomplished! Give daddy a hug!

Me: Er...I'm not really sure I should-

Tamaki: Nonsense! Come here! 33 *grabs and hugs while spinning*

Me: C-can't...b-breathe! S-someb-body h-helpp!

*Mori appears out of nowhere and sweeps me away* (like with Haruhi in episode 1)

Me: *breathes out* Thanks.

Honey: Way to go Takashi! :3 *Mori nods and sets me down*

Me: Tamaki, what did we say about the spinning and-*glances at Tamaki in dark corner*

Tamaki: Betrayed...by my own daughter. *I sigh and walk over to him*

Me: I'll let you do the disclaimer next time...?

Tamaki: *stands up abruptly* Alright! That character of yours seems nice, when will she meet all of us?

Hikaru: Yeah, we need other person...

Kaoru: To play with...

Both: Besides Haruhi.

Haruhi: *under breath* She should run while she still can.

Me: Awh, you guys are the best! And I just got an idea. If you're out there, stay tuned for more! I sound like an advertisement.

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**© 2010 MidnightThunder. All rights reserved. **Disclaimer at the top of the page; please view. I love you all but any plagiarism results in giving me permission to kick your ass into the middle of May. **Thx. :)**


	3. Unexpected 'Stranger'

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran H-**

**Tamaki: MT you said I could do the Disclaimer!**

**Me: Oh yeah, go ahead.**

**Tamaki: *excited squeal* Oh my lovely daughter is so kind! *does weird shoulder dancing* I could just hug you and-**

**Honey: Izze-chan doesn't own Ouran because Bisco-chan and Takuya-chan do!**

**Kyouya: I believe she does own her own characters and ideas however, correct? *Tamaki's mouth wide open***

**Tamaki: Mother! Honey-sempai! H-how could y-you?**

**Kyouya: You were taking too long with all your capricious rambling.**

**Me: Uh...well read on readers! :) Small recap: Kioko finally reached Ouran Academy, and on time too. She a blond boy named Tamaki Suoh, son of the Superintendent. She then went 'home' with her uncle, Haru. The story starts out in 'Normal POV'  
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Review or message please. This is my first work on Fanfiction …so be gentle with me? **Thanks in abundance. :)

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**Chapter 2:**

The streets of Tokyo were buzzing with livelihood as more people greeted the approaching afternoon. But most of all, the roar of a brilliant silver 2010 Nismo 3702 can be heard making it's way down the road. The tires screeched to a halt as a chocolate brown-maroon haired teen stepped out of the passenger's seat.

"So this is where you live, huh?" The 16-yr old brunette continued to survey the building's nicely designed architecture.

"Slow down there, jeez. I didn't even park the car in the underground lot yet." Kioko simply waved him off and was about to take a step inside when she realized…she has no key. The girl reacted by quickly getting into the car before the young male left her to stand alone.

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'…_todokanai natsu yubikkiri wa samishiku…te wo furu kedo. Kinou mademo—ashita kara mo—kimi wo sagashiteru…Yume ga sotto tsugeteita yo, tanoshii hodo owarisou de…Fushigi da yo ne, hanareta te ga ochite, maru de maigo mitai, itsunomanika inai…'_

The melody of the elevator entertained the two figures until the 'ding' signaled the arrival of their designated floor. The older of the two stepped out of the elevator, suitcase and duffel bag in hand. "Uh…aren't you coming? The elevator will close automatically…" Kioko looked to her young uncle, "Oh yeah, sorry. I was just caught in my thoughts…" She walked over to Haru; he gave her a look of concern. "Yeah? About what?"

"_Keitaro! Kei-chan! Where are you?" called out a little girl, less than 6 years old. "Kei this isn't funny anymore!" The toddler looked around anxiously, seeing nothing but sand, waves, and a whole lot of strangers._

"_Kioko! What are you doing alone? Mommy and daddy are waiting over there." At the sound of his voice, the little brunette's face lit up. She ran as fast as her petite form could let her and gave the boy a bear hug. He smiled too, and grabbed her hand. "C'mon they're waiting for us!" The two of them ran hand-in-hand over to the adults that were overjoyed to see them. As the family sat in the car and drove off, the two children were having their own conversation._

"_Kei, how come you, mommy, and daddy went away?" questioned the girl._

"_Huh?" The boy gave her a look of confusion. "Whadya mean? You wanted to play hide-n-seek and disappeared!" He used his hands to exaggerate 'disappeared'. The little girl grew a knowing look. "Oops…I forgot." She looked away shyly as the boy giggled at her forgetfulness._

"_Promise me we'll stay together?" he said, holding out a pinkie. The girl looked at his finger and asked, "Forever?" The boy responded by nodding enthusiastically. "Okay."_

_The two children locked pinkies, both wearing goofy grins. "What's all the ruckus back there?" asked the father. The toddlers looked to each other, and then at the grown man. "Nothing."_

Kioko looked at Haru and gave him a small smile, "It was nothing." The man looked at her, not buying her words but let it go for now. After all, he could probably guess what she was thinking about. "Jeez Haru, now who's the one weighing us down? We would totally lose a 'Survivor' challenge with you on my team." 'Bad jokes in reference to American television programs? Yeah, something was up' he thought.

Nevertheless, he rummaged through his pockets for the key and opened the door. "Well, this is it. Whadya think?" The man looked behind him, only to find that she wasn't standing there anymore.

"Day-AM. What were you doing in the last 4 years! Becoming a millionaire?" The girl continued to gawk at the scene before her.

"You know, a little of this and that. You should know that I am studying to be a law/business major right?" The girl didn't respond, and instead kept walking forward in a trance, but managed to take her shoes off before doing so.

She dropped her bags and continued to take in the apartment's atmosphere; there were large windows that reached to the floor and led to a balcony door, classy leather couches (plus a lazy boy/recliner), a flat screen TV, marble granite countertops, box-holed bookshelves, what looked like antique lamps, a baby grand piano, soft carpeted flooring in the living rooms, nice-sized stereo/video system (complete with karaoke), an alarm system, AC, 3 bedrooms (two joined with a big bathroom), 2 separate bathrooms, a decent sized kitchen with a small corner bar, and a small recording studio—not what she expected.

"And here I thought the place would be tiny with 3 bedrooms, a kitchen/dining room, small TV, ceiling fan, bamboo carpeting, and sliding doors. This place is ama—ZING?" Haru looked to the girl, now a jumbled heap on the ground. "Um, you should get your flooring checked out," said Kioko, oblivious to the fact that the 'floor' was moving.

"Um, not to be rude…but can you get off of me?" asked an unknown source. The girl was shocked by the additional voice and look for the face that matched it. Once she did, a mixture of surprise, embarrassment, and more surprise flashed across her face. Kioko hurriedly got up while ranting out an apology.

"Oh jeez! Are you…who are you? Um—I mean, okay? I'm so sorry, I didn't—well—see you, and er yeah. I'm sorry! Can you forgive me?" She extended a hand towards the man.

He tilted his head, keeping an amused look on his face. "You mean you don't remember me?" he asked, accepting the helping hand and stood up. The mysterious 'stranger' looked to Haru, who had nearly doubled over in laughter. "Care to explain, Haru?"

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I waited until Haru regained his composure, the guy was laughing as if there was no tomorrow! I had to admit, Kioko not remembering me did hurt a little.

My thoughts were interrupted when Haru started gasping for breath, signaling his laughing spur was over. "Okay…okay. Kioko, this—I can't b-believe! Oh god…this is my apartment mate, Kazu Hisakawa." And then he was off, laughing again, I mean.

I looked to Kioko who looked slightly confused, but in remembrance. I felt my mouth break into a grin when a look of realization appeared on her face; she looked to me.

I was about to say something when I felt a pair of arms wrap around my torso. "Kazu! I'm so sorry I didn't recognize you! Can you ever forgive me? I mean you look so…well, different! In a good way though." Her words came out muffled though, sounding something like: 'Kazu! Sorry you! Forgive? I mean…different! Good though.' I shrugged that off in my mind and put her at arms length.

"Hey Kioko, I'm glad to see you too." I said with a slight chuckle, "and yeah, I forgive you."

She looked ecstatic and hugged me at random, earning an "Oomph" from me.

"Okay, the hug-fest is over. You needa unpack your bags." I heard Haru direct at Kioko in annoyance. "Shut up. You're just jealous cause Kazu is my favorite out of you guys."

Haru looked appalled, half real and fake. "B-but I'm your uncle!"

"Yeah, but he's my uncle's best friend." I smiled at that, and gave Haru a smug look. Hey, it feels nice to be loved by your best friend's niece, more than she loves him.

"That doesn't make any sense!" he retorted.

"In my world it does."

"As much as I like to rub this is Haru's face, you do need to unpack Kioko," I said, ending the argument. Kioko pulled away reluctantly, gave me a content smile, and grabbed her stuff. "So, where to?" she asked.

I led the way to one of our spare bedrooms, leaving Haru standing in the living room with his jaw dropped.

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As soon as we were out of Haru's earshot, the two of us started broke into a fit of laughter. When we reached the bedroom, I looked to Kazu. He motioned for me to open the door. Deciding to be all dramatic, I reached for the doorknob slowly and opening the door at snail speed as well.

I gasped at the sight of the room. It was not too small or big, had a window with a view, a walk in closet, a big joined bathroom that led to another bedroom, a queen sized bed, and all the other usual stuff. "You like?" I heard Kazu say. Still in awe, I merely nodded my head.

Without a moment's notice I ran to the bed and jumped onto the soft, bright turquoise duvet, relishing in the feel. The black backboard was hidden by a mess of black, turquoise, and white pillows. Immediately, I unzipped a suitcase and took out a scruffy looking light brown teddy bear, placing it amongst the pillows.

"Hey isn't that…?" He started to say; I, however, answered in the middle, "Yeah, it is…"

"_No fair…He's won lotta times and I still haven't," grumbled a clearly unhappy 7-yr old girl. She currently held a look of disappointment and annoyance, contrasting from her white sundress with yellow flowers. Her mother merely giggled at the strangely cute appearance she was giving off._

_The woman had chocolate brown-maroon colored hair that was put into a messy bun, shimmering blue eyes, and lighter than rosy cheeks. Her posture was slightly hunched, showing her exhaustion from work. But nonetheless, she was overjoyed in spending time with the two kids before her._

_The girl on the other hand, was still unhappy about the fact that a little boy was basking in the glory of multiple toys at his grasp. The toys varied from stuffed to mechanical, all lined up in a small toy wagon—while she had none._

_Said boy was oblivious to the heat of the girl's glare, and continued to tell his mother about how 'awesome' the prizes were. The mom smiled, but frowned once she saw the orange hues mix in with the once blue sky. "It's getting late, time for us to go," she said gently. The boy said nothing while the girl looked saddened._

"_B-but I didn't…win any yet…" said the little girl, but obliged anyways._

_The boy, now attentive looked to his sister in concern. He tugged on his mother's skirt. "Can I play one more game?" he asked politely. The woman thought this over and finally nodded._

_Running over to the closest one he could find and was soon picking out his prize. He glanced over to the girl, who was now staring at him._

"_So kid, which one you want?" The little boy looked to the girl and grinned at the man working the game, pointing to the teddy bear. The man smiled in return and handed him the prize. He thanked the game manager and ran back to the two awaiting his return._

_The girl looked surprised at the fact that he had yet _another_ toy to add to his collection. That was, until he said those magical words._

"_Here, Kioko! I got this for you!" said the boy, extending the gift to her._

_The girl kept staring at the black beaded eyes that stared at her, before taking a hold of the soft material in her reach. _

_Before anyone knew it, the tears started welling up in her eyes. Thinking he had done something wrong, the boy looked startled until she spoke, "T-thank you, kei-chan."_

_After exchanging hugs, the two children looked to their mother. "Alright kids, let's go home."_

"Woah, don't get all teary-eyed on me!" said Kazu worried.

I snapped out of it, and blinked away the tears. "Sorry. Anyway, what's been happening with you?" I said, switching the attention to Kazu.

He looked to me, still worried but replied, "Uh, well I'm going to Tokyo U right now…and I'm gonna major in graphic designing."

I simply nodded at his response, knowing that he was an artsy person who liked messing with computers.

"Kioko, Kazu! What's takin' you guys so long? Better not be messin' around or else I'll be forced to kick both y'all out!" came Haru's voice from the living room.

I rolled my eyes at his statement and glanced at Kazu, who apparently had the same thought.

He is indeed, too weird.

"Yeah-yeah, just hold on I needa unpack!" I shouted back. Then I directed my attention to Kazu, about to ask if he'd help. Before I could, he replied, "Sure, I'll help."

Not too long after, everything was in its place—or rather, the place I wanted it to be.

I took a long look around the room, noting if anything was 'out of order'. Satisfied, I turned and looped arms with Kazu as I headed towards a most likely annoyed Haru.

The journey, though short, was pretty silent except for random small talk. Deciding to disturb the peace, I said to Kazu, "When did you get hot?"

He definitely wasn't expecting that question and nearly tripped over his own foot. Kazu looked to me and asked, "W-what do you mean?" His cheeks were flushed with embarrassment.

Being the kind soul I was, I let out a charming laugh, making his face go redder. I continued to survey his profile: messy black hair, tall, and the same deep green eyes—just, without the thick-rimmed square glasses that gave off an innocent look. "I mean, I didn't even recognize you at first. You're hair grew out more and you're definitely taller. Are you wearing contacts?"

Kazu looked forward once more, stuffing his hands in his jeans. The living room came into better view and he casually waltzed to Haru now that our arms weren't linked.

"Why's your face all red?" asked Haru. I let out another laugh, and once more Kazu blushed harder. My boyish uncle looked back and forth between the two of us, and shrugged.

"Anyways…" he said when my laughter died down, "I'm starrrvvingg! Can you make us something to eat Kioko?"

I gave him a look that questioned his intelligence. "I haven't been here for…" I checked the digital clock that hung above an archway, "…5 hours yet and you're _already_ making me do stuff for you? Sheesh…this is why Kazu's the favorite…" I added the last bit under my breath.

Haru remained unfazed by my words and continued to moan about his poor, empty stomach. I would've hit him upside the head if my stomach hadn't growled along; airplane food just doesn't cut it anymore.

Just as I readied the pillow in my hand, tired of Haru's whining, we both stopped in our places. The room…smelled…_really_ good.

Like ninjas, we appeared at the kitchen stove simultaneously, surprised to see Kazu…wearing a light pink apron with a ladle in hand.

He looked to us with a calm expression, "What? I wasn't gonna let us all starve." Haru looked so happy that he could cry, and I, looked grateful.

The dark-haired lad (me: hehe) turned back to the stove, adding cubed pieces of tofu into the small pot, while Haru snapped out of it enough to set the table for three. I saw Kazu reaching for the miso package and grabbed it instead, sticking a chunk onto the end of a chopstick. He raised a brow at me, but stepped aside so I could mix it into the soup.

I kept my eyes fixated on the pot, and heard the crunching of veggies as Kazu finely chopped them. The apartment door opened, "I'm gonna run down to the store. Be back when I get back," my uncle called out. Without a response, he left and the only sounds that can be heard were from the sizzling of vegetables, sounds of chopping and stirring, and the kitchen vent system.

I put the lid on the pot, and turned down the fire while Kazu added spices to his chicken stir fry. Without much left to do, I measure the rice and got it ready in the rice cooker. Afterwards, I crashed onto the sofa in the living room and reached for the remote.

* * *

I wasn't sure when I had dozed off, but I woke up to the smell of…chocolate? Slightly confused, I looked around and saw Kazu sprawled out on the recliner with his lids shut and Haru no where in sight.

Slowly, I got up and stretched my arms above my head, then headed to the circular dining table to see all the food ready and covered in saran wrap.

Then, I noticed the chocolate smell getting stronger. Following my nose, I walked into the kitchen. Before I could investigate, Haru's voice echoed through the front door.

"It smells good in here, what did you guys make?" Once he came into view, I noticed he set down a few bags near Kazu's sleeping form but didn't question it for now. He jerked a thumb at Kazu, "Asleep huh?" I nodded and walked over to them.

"Yeah, well I'm not surprised…With Uni, working part-time, and rehearsal." I bet I had a questioning look on my face because then he said, "We'll talk once Kazu wakes up."

I looked to said person and extended a finger to prod his cheek. "Hey, Kazu. Wake up."

"Mmm…no I wanted the mango flavored…" He mumbled. I guess he was hungrier than he let on. Uh-oh; Haru just got out a megaphone. Why do they even have one?

"KAZU HISAKAWA! IT'S TIME FOR LUNCH, SO GET UP OFF YOUR ASS!"

"What the f-?" I grimaced when Kazu basically crashed to the floor. He got up and glared at Haru who was smiling like an innocent 5-yr old, the megaphone now behind his back.

Not wanting something to come of this, I ushered the two young adults to the table. "H-hey guys! Look at all the food, yum right?" Kazu kept glaring at Haru who was happily heating up his share of the meal in the microwave.

Thankfully, the 'evils' didn't last long, and we were all relishing in the homemade meal. I patted my stomach contently and praised Kazu on his cooking skills. He waved off the compliment but smiled and got up. But what surprised me the most was the mini chocolate cake he came back with. I knew I wasn't imagining it!

I seemed to be gawking at his masterpiece and he chuckled as he cut me a slice. Eagerly, I took a forkful into me mouth and sighed at the taste. Chocolate cake with buttercream icing. Usually, I'd find this too sweet for my liking, but this was just heaven!

I heard Kazu laughing on the side and looked up to see Haru with a face that read "I just discovered the meaning of life…and it was something fabulous." I found myself starting to laugh along as well. And then came the questions.

"Dang, Kazu! Where did you learn to bake?" I asked. He smiled shyly, "Er, well I'm working part-time at my family's bakery café. It's not too well-known but we've got great business. If you'd like, I'll score you a job there?"

"Cool, guess that answers the part-time question." Kazu looked to me with a confused look but shrugged it off. We continued to enjoy the cake and wrapped up the leftovers.

'_Hirogaru yami no naka kawashiatta kakumei no chigiri. Aishita yume ni mebaeta, aku no hana Kore kara saki otozureru de arou subete wo. Dare ni mo jamasaseru wake ni wa, ikanai. Itsuka…boku ga, misete ageru, Hikari kagayaku…sora wo~~!'_

All of us glanced to the source of the music, in other words, Haru's cell phone. He rummaged through his jeans (Oo-er) and pulled out his TouchWiz (me: look it up).

"I havta take this call, you guys wash the dishes." And he quickly walked away to who knows where. I heard Kazu sigh next to me and I glanced at him questioningly. "He never does the dishes." Yeah, that sounds about right.

I decided to give Kazu a break so I grabbed the now empty dishes and stalked off to the kitchen. It didn't take me too long wash everything, but man, it's not a fun task.

Haru returned and looked sort of unsure about something. "Hey Kioko, Kazu and I have decided to take you out tonight."

I stared at him intently and chose my words carefully, "Um…Like…a welcoming party?" He nodded his head eagerly and I saw Kazu roll his eyes using my peripheral vision.

This time, I replied a little unsure, "Well…okay then…"

"Okay, cool! Just be ready by 6:30. Meaning you have roughly 4 hours for yourself. Kazu, I needa go over something with you in our room." Even Kazu looked slightly cautious as he walked to the direction of the master bedroom they shared.

Once the two of them were gone, I looked around. Four hours huh? I sat myself on the couch and thought of all the things I could do.

Well, seeing as how I just arrived in the city, I can't exactly take a walk. I could always go to my new room and reorganize more. Or maybe listen to music…or watch TV…or—

***…ZZZzzZZzz…***

* * *

Chapter two est fini aussi! Hooray. I decided to introduce Kazu as soon as possible...the chapter had a lot of him and Kioko cuz they're pretty close. Kazu has been friends with Haru since they were 9! And they both visited Kioko and her family a lot.

The two songs I used are _roughly_ translated here:

"…Over our clasped hands, we swear…to meet up next summer. Every day since, and every day thence, I've searched for you~…Our dreams softly intertwine, so breathtaking, yet so fleeting. It's so strange…Our hands fall away…and suddenly, you're gone—vanished like a lost child…"  
**"Dreams"- by High and Mighty Color; used in _Darker Than Black_**

"We exchanged promises of revolution in the expanding darkness. I loved you, so the flower of evil sprouted. I won't let anyone interfere, with everything that is to come in the future. One day, I will show you, the sky that shines with light~~!"  
**"The World"- by Nightmare; used in _Death Note_**

**Thank you for reading :)  
**

**Kazu: Yeah, and stay tuned for more!**

**Me: I was gonna say that... d:**

**Tamaki: I didn't get to do the disclaimer... *growing mushrooms in corner***

**Me: H-hey! If you quit doing that..uh, you can do it next time.**

**Tamaki: All right then. As Host King I feel obligated to fulfill your wishes! *I roll my eyes***

**Me: Anyways...go to my profile to pictures of stuff in the story!**** :)  
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**© 2010 MidnightThunder. All rights reserved. **Disclaimer at the top of the page; please view. I love you all but any plagiarism results in giving me permission to kick your ass into the middle of May. **Thx. :)**


	4. A Welcoming Party?

**Me: You have no idea how bad I feel for not updating! I wanted to get this out before July 4th...it's July 8th.. ): But I hurt my hand and couldn't type for a while. How did I hurt it? NO FREAKIN CLUE! It annoyed me to no end. But here's chapter 3! Finally out. Anyways, without further ado...here's Tamaki with the disclaimer. I sound like an anchorwoman.**

**Tamaki: Oh my poor, wonderful daughter! Hurting her hand and not knowing the cause! It's tragic! *arm to eyes*  
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**Haruhi: *****annoyed* ****If you don't hurry up and say it already someone else is going to...  
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**Tamaki: Don't rush me Haruhi! Midnight doesn't own Ouran Host and all of its original ideas that belong to Bisco. Just her own ideas. Daddy did wonderfully, don't you think? *smiling all giddy-like*  
**

**Me: Yeah..sure. Small recap: Kioko met Kazu and they ate and a bunch of other stuff. She just fell asleep at the end of the chapter.  
**

Review or message please. This is my first work on Fanfiction…so be gentle with me? **Thanks in abundance. :)**

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**Chapter 3:**

The various scattered, white-paged music sheets stood out against the navy carpeted flooring. Two males were busying themselves tuning, erasing, and rewriting. The much darker haired male had a pencil in hand and was sprawled out on the bed while the other had settled himself into a plush bean bag chair at the center of the room.

Haru looked over to his most trusted companion, voicing out his opinions on the melody of their new single. He, in turn, left the comfort of his duvet and walked over to the mess of musical instruments that lay at the corner of their room.

The black-haired boy began fumbling around with different buttons and switches to produce a solid, catchy beat. Haru found himself nodding along and continued to scribble down words while mumbling. Leaving the rhythmic sounds to continue playing, Kazu went ahead to fiddle with his bass, writing down cords he thought were appropriate. But then, both males seemed to get the same idea and stopped all movement—what was Kioko doing?

The dark maroon-haired boy glanced to the alarm clock beside him. 6:08 pm. He then looked to his mate who was already packing it up, and did the same. The once melodious atmosphere turned silent aside from the sound of their shuffling around. Haru was first to exit their room just as Kazu closed up his guitar case.

As he entered the living room, Haru noticed the fanned out mess of black-brown maroon hair—it was Kioko fast asleep. Kazu now entered the scene, much slower upon noticing her sleeping form. They shared the same thought: Good thing their room was soundproof (me: don't get all perverted on me! :p).

Kazu went ahead to the kitchen, grabbing two water bottles and handed one to Haru who nodded in thanks. It was just now that he realized how parched he was. Haru remained crouched next to Kioko as he took a swift gulp and set the bottle down on their beige-wood coffee table. Gently, he took Kioko by the shoulders and whispered out in hushed tones, "Hey…Kioko…wake up." She began to stir, and Kazu started making remarks on how 'kind, caring, and motherly' Haru was being. He chucked the water bottle at his head.

Kioko's eyes fluttered open to the sight of Haru glaring at Kazu, who was grasping his head with one hand. "Mmm…what's going on? What happened to your head?" she asked now fully awake and sitting upright. Left unanswered, Kioko looked to the bottle at Kazu's feet, his hand on his head, and their engaged glaring battle. '_Tch…immature little adults_ (me: oxymoron!)' she thought.

However, the heated battle depleted and they got down to business. "Kioko, you should get ready and change," Haru noted, glancing at her clothes. She looked down as well: black skinny jeans, baby blue peasant blouse, and her black flats lie at the front door.

As if sensing her confusion, he continued, "Dress more formally, almost like if you were going clubbing." The young adult scurried off to get changed. Kazu was about to follow his actions when Kioko stopped him, "Do you know where we're going?"

He looked a tad nervous but replied, "Er—it was Haru's idea." And he took off in long strides to their shared room, leaving Kioko alone to ponder. Reluctantly, she headed off to her room to ready herself as well.

After searching her new closet for something remotely fancy to wear, Kioko found the perfect outfit. Or rather, she didn't feel like searching anymore. Kioko got dressed in a silky, navy blue dress, light gray tights, a black leather jacket, and clipped on a black & white polka dot bow in her hair. She quickly brushed her dark locks, shoved on some random bracelets, and applied strawberry lip balm before grabbing a couple hundred yen, her cell, and her knee-high boots and heading to living room.

Arriving there, Kioko noticed Kazu casually leaning against the marble counter while texting, portraying a punk-biker look from his choice of clothing. Haru, on the other hand, was busily yapping into his cell, pertaining the look of a mellowed out, and just plain 'cool', guy. Neither of the two seemed to notice Kioko's presence as she tried to get confirmation on her wardrobe.

"Yeah, okay, we're on our way. Later." The young uncle pocketed his phone and turned to Kioko, "Nice outfit."

Kazu, who was now fully attentive, looked Kioko over and grinned sloppily. "You're lookin' pretty fine," he said with a wink. Laughter danced in his eyes when Kioko went beet red from the compliment. Fortunately for them, Haru was already at the front door shoving his feet into his fancy sneakers and didn't hear a word. "Hurry it up back there!" he called out, leaving the door open and heading to the elevator.

"Isn't he charming?" said Kioko sarcastically. She and her uncle's best buddy were out the door and trailing behind Haru. "Back there, when you said I looked nice…it was to get back at me huh?"

Kazu smirked at her words, "Well, yeah…but I did mean it too. You clean up nicely." Kioko's face went red and she rolled her eyes, "Yeah, well you don't look to bad yourself." They both smiled at each other in a knowing way. Their family-like bond didn't last too long; Haru was impatiently waiting behind the elevator doors, ready to deny them both a ride down to the underground garage. The two hurriedly walked to the elevator just as Haru pushed the 'close door' button. The ride was short, and silent aside from the music playing quietly in the background (me: I know most elevators most likely won't play actual songs, just classical stuff, but my imaginary one does :) ).

'_Kono hoshi ga taema naku…mawari tsudukete iru kara, chiisaku aketa mado no soto… keshiki wo kae…'_

"_watashi no aishita hana…sotto mebaeru kisetsu de, meguru kiseki no sono hate, mata mukaiau no darou, mukaiau no darou_…"

Upon hearing her voice, the two males snapped their attention to Kioko. Their actions were so sudden that they made her jump in surprise. "Er…what? I know the song, sheesh…" The two friends shared a swift glance just as the elevator 'dinged'.

Stepping out of the confined space, all three of them headed to the designated parking spot. The atmosphere was a bit chilly, but still maintained the same humidity the island held. By now, random parking spots were left unoccupied as people scoured the nightly streets of Japan. As soon as Haru's silver vehicle came into sight, Kioko noticed Kazu veering off to the right.

"Uh, Kazu—where're you going?" she openly questioned. He looked at her and commenced pulling off a protection fabric (me: you know, like those ones you find on cars to protect from the rain) to reveal his very own method of transportation. Kioko's eyes widened in wonderment, taking in the dark red coating that shone under the fluorescent lighting. "You ride a motorcycle?"

"Not just any motorcycle a-"

"A Honda VFR1200F," Haru finished a bit bored.

"Yes, but not just any one. The Dual Clutch, 750 cc (me: 'tis on my profile; Go look!)," said Kazu smiling proudly, while Haru rolled his eyes and entered the driver's seat.

"You mean the one that costs nearly ¥1,700,000?" she gasped out. Kioko then launched into a speech of incoherent, jumbled up sentences on how he managed to pay for the bike and spending costs. She ran out of breath and saw that her uncle was already seated, and Kazu was strapping on his helmet. Shrugging, Kioko got into the passenger seat and they pulled out of the garage and started down the road.

It didn't take long for either vehicles to reach their destination, Kazu getting there 3 minutes earlier, and they parked at a mini lot. Kioko and Haru exited the car just as Kazu lift his helmet off and shook his now floppy hair. Kioko couldn't help but giggle at the sight; both males lifted a brow. "Sorry, but you look like you just finished a motorcycle ad on TV." They rolled their eyes simultaneously and Kazu shoved her forward playfully, "Yeah, okay. Move it or lose it."

All three people walked around a building to entrance and reached a long hallway with random doors at each side. Kioko's face twisted into one of confusion as they continued to move down the path. Before she could ask, another figure appeared out of nowhere, and he seemed to know them,

"Yoshida, Hisakawa—finally!" he paused. "And who are you?" he said, directing his question at Kioko whilst giving her a once-over. "Who are _you_?" she retorted, crossing her arms. Haru looked back and forth between the two people, and Kazu was no where in sight.

"U-uh, this is Ryou Miura—a friend of Kazu and mine. This is my niece, Kioko Yukimura." Ryou smiled kindly and held a hand out to Kioko who reluctantly shook it.

"So _you're_ the one he's been talking about," said Ryou. All four of us were walking down the cream tiled hall, and it didn't take long for us to stop at a tannish brown door with a tinted circular window. "I hope it was the good stuff…" I mumbled, looking over to said uncle.

Haru looked nervous, but not entirely at the comment itself. Ryou picked up on this and smirked, taking Haru aside for some questioning. They were a good few feet away, so I couldn't make out what they were saying. Instead, I took the time to actually look over 'our' new friend. He had messy chocolate brown hair that looked slightly golden, the most interesting sapphire eyes, a white dress t-shirt & blue striped tie worn loosely, jeans, leather wristbands, and what I liked to call "dressy sneakers"; Ryou couldn't have been over 22 years old.

The brown-haired boy, or man I should say, looked over at me and I pretended to be interested in the overhead lighting. I sneaked a peak at Haru, who still looked nervous, and Ryou who was laughing at his discomfort. The two of them headed back to where I was standing and the Miura guy gladly pushed open the door for me. I was met with an empty darkness until one of them flicked on the lights, allowing the contents of the room revealed itself to me.

Needless to say, I was confused. My eyes went from one corner to the other; it was small and was similar to a karaoke room. Taking a step inside, I noticed the blue flooring mold against the soles of my shoes. "U-uh, surprise!" I heard Haru yell out, and turned to face him. "So…you brought me to a knock-off karaoke place?"

"Well…not exactly." He ran a hand through his untamed hair and wore a sheepish smile. Ryou was cracking up laughing next to him, "Just—tell her already man!" he laughed out.

My young uncle audibly sighed and shoved me towards a different door in the room, following close behind. Like before, the room was dark, but a series of bright lights flashed on; Ryou was behind a glass window, in yet another room inside a room, flipping on switches.

The first thing that popped into my head was "What the hell?" then "Oh wow" and finally "This is just…amazing."

Apparently, I had spoken aloud because Haru was looking at me oddly, "You're not…mad?" It was my turn to look at him funnily, "Why would I be mad?"

"Because I brought you to a band/recording studio on your first night in Tokyo…" I let out an abrupt laugh, "I don't mind really. Besides, I know how much you wanted to start a band, remember?" A look of surprise, realization, and embarrassment crossed his features. Just then, another person flew into the room, non-literally.

I turned to see if it was another unexpected arrival—but it turned out to be Kazu with an armful of drinks. "So whadya think?" he asked, handing me a cold bottle of Jūrokucha (me: it's like green tea). "It's pretty…wow," I replied, surveying the multi-colored walls. I saw him nod in approval from the corner of my eyes.

While I did so, Kazu continued to throw bottles of Pocari Sweat (me: go on Wikipedia you lazy bums…I love you all. :) ) at Ryou and Haru, who caught them effortlessly. I frowned, thinking that I would have dropped it or let it bash into some random body part. Then a thought crossed my mind, "Hey Kazu. Where'd you get all the drinks?"

"Uh, I left you guys when you were walking down the hall, remember?" he replied, tugging at some wires on the ground.

"Really?" When was that?

"You mean you didn't even notice?" he asked flatly. I laughed nervously and backed away slowly.

"Okay so here's the deal." I looked the right and was met with captivating blue eyes. "Your uncle, his best bud, and I are auditioning for some band members. If we think they aren't total losers, we let them play a little to see if they're good. We choose the final people on the spot." I nodded, trying to act completely serious. Though, it was hard because behind him, Kazu was now trying to rip open frozen packages of Yakult with his teeth…and failing.

I averted my eyes from the scene and looked to him again, "Right…so what do you do?" He smirked and crossed his arms, "Everyone in the band has to be able to do 2 things—flawlessly. I do Sound Check in that booth over there…" he pointed to the glass window. "…slash Band Managing, and I play the guitar. Haru sings and plays the guitar—electric & acoustic like me. Kazu is the bassist and can play drums. He and I also do backing vocals." I nodded slightly dazed and looked over to Haru; he's really made something of his dream. "Well...doesn't mean you do more than 2 things?" I ask, not missing a beat. He shrugs in response.

By now, Kazu and Haru have finished setting up the microphones, amps, guitars, et cetera. Both of them went ahead to the seating room and the two of us followed suit. I flicked off the lights to conserve energy and made my way over to the booth seats, nudging Haru to move over. And now we wait.

…

My GOSH I'm bored. I glanced to the white clock that was hung on the wall. 6:50. I heard myself let out an exasperated sigh, and looked over to the rest of the boys. Haru was…sleeping. Kazu was reorganizing sugar packets into brand, packet color, and density. And Ryou was stacking a bunch of bards into a pyramid. Where'd he get the cards?

Their actions weren't exactly thrilling any in way, so I slumped back and continued to stare at the clock. Tick…tick…tick…6:52. Tick…tick…tick…tick…tick…swifsh, swifsh, swifsh (me: what does stabbing partially frozen things sound like?)! Wait, what? My eyes went from the wall to the small black tables, seeing Kazu now violently stabbing all the frozen Yakults with a straw until they became slushie-like. Bored, I continued to watch as a triumphant smile grazed his lips. A glass cup appeared out of no where and he began pouring the contents of all 10 Yakults in. The dark-haired boy stirred it once for consistency and looked over at me. He tilted the cup in my direction as an offering. I blinked at him a couple of times.

After about an eternity of staring blankly at one another, Kazu finally gave up and drank the slush mixture. My attention now went over to the brunette (me: I'm not counting black hair under 'brunette' in this story so I have more adjectives to use :p) who was putting the final card at the top of his grand masterpiece. I stared at the cards, thinking it would be hilarious if it all tumbles down.

It tumbled down.

Ryou's face was of pure horror and aggravation; he moodily began to restack everything. Astonishingly, not one of them was aware of what each other were doing. I took out my worn-out phone and snapped a picture as memory of this excruciatingly boring moment; we would probably laugh about it later. Finally, a sign from the heavens above made everyone freeze what they were doing.

Three knocks on the door was all it took. Haru's upper half shot up so quickly that I jumped and hit my knee against the table, causing Ryou's pyramid topple down on him, causing him to wave his arms around like a deranged maniac—slapping Kazu in the face. We turned to glare at Haru who had caused the domino effect, and was about to get him back when a few more knocks came—louder and heavier. I looked to the clock. 7:00 sharp. "_Avanti_," said Haru.

The person outside the door seemed to hesitate, not knowing what language he was speaking, but entered anyways. Immediately, I was met with brown eyes, blonde hair that was partly put in pigtails, and blood red lips. The stranger was wearing all black—a corset-like dress, patterned tights, combat boots, a choker, and gloves that went from her wrist to her bicep.

"Name?" asked Kazu, taking a sip of the almost melted slush. The girl looked all four of us, stopping at Ryou. I looked over to him as well; he held a few cards in his hands, staring at them as if they were giant purple mushrooms with faces doing the chicken dance. "Uh…Misa Amane…" she said slowly (me: I just described Misa Amane and used her character, in which case: I do not own Death Note). "Well I'm Kazu, the one with the cards is Ryou, the other is Haru, and next him is Kioko. What can we do for you?"

I now focused my attention on Misa, who looked a bit nervous. "I, er—saw the flyer. So I want to audition. I sing and play the flute (me: I didn't know what to put as her second one, so go along with it)."

"Okay. So sing," I heard Ryou say. She was a bit startled but you could see her eyes search for a song. "_Tooku hanareteru hodo ni…chikaku ni kanjiteru. Samishisa mo…tsuyosa e…to kawatteku…kimi wo omota—nara_ (me: "Reason" by Nami Tamaki; in GSD…sorry too lazy to translate; it's 10pm, I'm not Japanese, and I look for vids with the REAL lyrics)…"

I saw the three boys nod in approval. "And no flute with us?" questioned Haru. She shook her head, "It's getting cleaned by a friend."

"What flavor of Ramune do you favor?" Kazu blurted out. We all looked to him bewildered. Where did that come from? "Er, strawberry." He nodded. It was silent for a while, so I decided to ask a question, "How long have you've been singing?" She was quite good.

Miss Amane looked over to me, slightly repulsed by me in general. Scratch that—she's a bitch. "A while." How very blunt. I decided to focus on my nails, which were clean and free of polish.

"What's your favorite color?" said Ryou. "Black," she responded sweetly. "No surprise there…" murmured Haru; I nudged him in the ribs. "Uh…what do you do for a living?" he asked, gently rubbing the pained area. "I'm an actress." I scoffed involuntarily, causing Misa to glare at me.

"And who are you exactly?" she said in false-sincerity. Not that good of an actress after all. "I'm—" I started, but Kazu cut me off, "My girlfriend. And Haru's long lost sister. And Ryou's goddaughter." Ryou glared at him, 'goddaughter' made him sound like an old man.

She seemed to believe every word because her eyes widened visibly. After all, with the looks I could pass off as Haru's sister, Kazu played the "half-sister" or "girlfriend" card usually when someone was picking on me, friends of families could easily name each other as 'god-whatevers', and the fact that we're all together makes a whole lotta sense. "Oh, that's just lovely," she said through her teeth, "How long have you've been together?" "About 2 years," I said smoothly, "but Haru is still protective of me." I finish, noting the fact that he sat between us.

I saw Ryou look over at the clock that read 7:10. "Would you look at the time! Mind letting the next person in? We need to get things moving," he said. Misa looked quite angry and took the chopsticks out of their container and threw them on the floor, shoving the door open. The poor boy on the other side was nearly smacked in the face. He managed to jump out of the way, but bumped into the person behind him. Great, we have a line. Note the sarcasm.

Although Misa had already angrily revealed the next person—a boy who looked 16-ish with black hair and goldenish-blue eyes hidden behind glasses—he waited for the door to stop swinging and knocked. "COME IN!" shouted out Kazu in an incredibly, bubbly kid-like voice. Once he was present in the room, Haru raised a brow, "You're 18 years old?" He nodded, "Yeah. I start Uni soon…My name's Kimihiro Watanuki. I play the clarinet, piano, and I can cook (me: I do not own xxxHolic either!). I felt kinda bad for the guy, he wasn't gonna make it by just looking at him. This Watanuki guy was wearing a white polo and black slacks…something I don't think the others find "cool" (me: no offense to him of course! He is sorta dorky, but in a good way. Yay for xxxHolic!). And I was right.

"Look, Watanuki. Sorry you came this way…but you're not exactly what we're looking for," said Kazu, being the 'nice guy' in this situation. The golden-blue eyes saddened a little, but they held strength in them. "That's alright. Thanks anyways." "Wait. Take this for the road," I said, tossing him a Match (me: it's a Jap drink). He thanked me and left.

For the next half hour, give or take a few minutes, we auditioned people, asked them random surprise questions, and 'sweated' them for the sake of putting them on the spot. And so far…no one qualifies for the position. There were one or two people I thought were pretty good, but they didn't answer Kazu's bakery question correctly. One stated "whipped cream" and the other said "royal icing". The answer was chocolate ganache. On the other hand, Mr. Royal Icing was very rude on his way out. The plus side—he tripped on those chopsticks Misa Amane thrusted onto the floor. Following his departure, I cleaned those up.

The time was now 8:01 pm and we are just sitting around staring off into space. "Want to play Spoons?" asked Ryou. "Nah, might take too long," answered Haru. "K."

"…let's do karaoke," I heard myself say. The boys looked to me, then at the small karaoke system at the corner of the room, and shrugged—meaning "Sure". Wow, this really was a knock-off karaoke room. But since nobody seemed to be moving, I got up and set up the mini system. Then, I grabbed the small booklet of songs to choose from—both English and Japanese. Flipping to a random page, I read the small given passage of lyrics that allowed the singers to get a feel of the song. My eyes scanned over the English words along with the Japanese translation and I felt my face heat up. I quickly turned to a different page, sensing three pairs of eyes on me. "You, um, don't want…er, t-that one." (me: It was the Ding Dong song). Instead, I settled on a song called "Pictures of You" by The Last Goodnight, thinking that the title sounded nice. Selecting just that, I turned to the boys, "So who's singing?" They just looked at me blankly. Sighing, I shoved the microphone into Haru's hands, which gave a little feedback, and nodded to the tiny screen that showed the lyrics.

Ryou clapped twice and the lights went off, revealing a small disco ball protruding from the ceiling. A soft piano melody signaled the intro of the song and Haru's regular 'mellow and I'm-cool-but-I-don't-flaunt-it' look changed to a look of strong focus.

'_This is the clock upon the wall. This is the story of us all. This is the first sound of a newborn child, before he starts to crawl…'_

I have to say, Haru really was a brilliant singer, hitting every note with the hint of an Asian accent.

'…_This earthquake weather has got me shaking, inside, I'm high up and dry. Pictures of you, pictures of me…Hung upon your wall for the world to see…'_

And there's also the fact that none of us have ever heard of this song…

'…_Pictures of you, pictures of me…Remind us all of what we could have been…could have been~…!"_(me: obviously I won't put up the whole song…that takes too much space)

"And next up is…Ryou Miura, Kazu Hisakawa, _and_ Haru Yoshida with Ryou taking the lead vocals in "The Carpal Tunnel Of Love" by Fall Out Boy. Another English song." I grinned at all three of them and shoved two more microphones into their hands, knowing that they all have the vocal cords to do perfectly. The sounds of guitar chords drowned out the room and I was instantly glad that they the walls were soundproof, just like the studio. (me: I know there aren't backing vocals at the part I'm using but just pretend please)

'_We take sour sips…from life's lush lips. And we __**shake, shake, shake the hips**__—in relationships. __**Stomp out this disaster town—you'll put your eyes to the sun and say **__"I know your only blinding to keep back what the clouds are hiding~." We might have started singing just a little soon. We're throwing stones at the glass moon~~! __**Woah oh oh~! We're so miserable and stunning~~…Woah oh oh~! Love songs for the genuinely cunning~~!**__ Woah~…'_

For the next 2 minutes or so, I watched in awe as all three of them performed. Sure, they have different voice tones, but they harmonize for lack of better words: fabulously. Just as the final word was uttered, there was a standard knock of 3 hits at the door. I switched off the karaoke and put the microphones aside right when Ryou said "Enter the cave of wonders". I rolled my eyes at his remark and took my regular seat next to Haru. The stranger stepped into the still pitch black room, not counting the glowing ovals formed by the rotating disco ball. "Name's Shouta Ishii, Shou for short. I'm here bout the band, this the right place?" "Yeah, take a seat." But he remained still, so I clapped my hands.

The lights flickered back on and Shou covered his eyes with his forearm. Without the darkness clouding our vision, I was able to see the newcomer's purplish hair and golden eyes—a very unique combination. He adorned a cap, leather bands, baggy jeans with a black leather belt, a hooded vest with a tank under, and white Air Forces. Normal attire.

Just as I had surveyed him, he looked around at all four of us. I nearly laughed at Haru's mock seriousness with the whole chin to fist thing, and elbow resting on the arm slinged across his torso. He was also nodding slightly in approval and looked intently at Shou, though for what reasons I do not know. "I saw the flyer over by the market. Oh yeah, I play drums and know my way behind all the technical stuff." I saw Ryou nodding in approval. But that wasn't what interested me. This was the first time somebody spoke of a flyer.

"What flyer are you talking about?" I ask. Shouta looks to me and raises a brow, "Which one are you?" It was my turn to look puzzled as I watched him count to three with his fingers, then looking over to each of us—which makes 4. "…pretty sure you're not Haru, Kazu, or Ryou."

"I'm Kioko Yukimura, Haru's cousin, which just so happens to be this dork sitting next to me. Next to him is Kazu, and at the end is Ryou."

The purple-haired boy nodded and continued, "Nice to meet ya. And to answer your question…this flyer." He pulled out a folded paper from his back pocket and handed it to me (me: go to my profile for the flyer…it's under 'Band Related'). I scanned it over and paused. Must like penguins? What the hell? "And who made this exactly…?" I looked over to the three next to me. "I did," stated Haru proudly. "Of course you did…" I then mumbled.

Haru frowned at my remark, "I thought the flyer was pretty good…"

"You threatened to kick their ass! And what is this…?" I pointed to a circular brown-rimmed stain, "Coffee?" He nodded. All the while, Shou was watching us with an amused smile.

"Well I hate to break up this love fest, but I still gotta audition right?" said Shou, taking a seat on the cream-white seat across from me and Haru. "What's your favorite fruit?" I heard Kazu ask.

"Strawberries or mangoes. Not raspberries though, I don't dig that shit." Kazu nodded contently, giving Haru the raspberry-lover a smug look.

"What do you do in your spare time?" Ryou asked this time. "Mostly go for walks while listening to music. Usually have my drumsticks with me so I tap to the beat. Or I practice skateboarding." This time, all three nodded in approval. What's up with guys and nodding?

Not wanting to feel uncooperative, I asked a question of my own. "What would you say is one of the best feelings in the world?"

Shou looked really deep in thought, as if taking my question into deep consideration. "You know how when you're really swamped and finally you finish it all and well, you're completely exhausted like aw shit but don't rest until you make it to your bed? So you just grow a pair and claw and crawl your way on the ground cause you're seriously f'ed up and then you crash right onto the soft covers and it's just like, damn I'm glad I did that. Cause you deserved it you know?" He took off his cap and ran his fingers through his red-blue hued hair. And although most of that came out pretty incomprehensible, I knew exactly what the guy was talkin' about. "I'm familiar with the feeling."

'"_Mommy I'm reeeeeallyy tiiirrrreeedd," the 8-yr old girl drawled out. The woman laughed at her frowning child. The dark-haired girl was lying on the couch after completing an assignment she completely forgot about. It was due the day after, or rather, today. The two had stayed up until 2am just finish it._

"_Kioko your room isn't too far from here. You can do it," encouraged the mom. The girl pouted but complied and dragged her feet over to the stairs. But not before kissing her mother goodnight, or morning. _

_Her petite frame looked up towards the massive staircase and she instantly felt even more tired than before. Slowly but surely, her feet moved one after another climbing the steps._

_She reached the top in a matter of minutes and made her way down the hall. And at last, the door to her bedroom was swung open and Kioko used her final spurts of energy to leap onto the lilac covers. The bed dipped down just a tiny bit under her weight. _

_The mom had cleaned up everything and was up the stairs, rounding the corner. She noticed the open door and made her way over. Once in view, she saw little Kioko—fast asleep._'

"Anyways, ready to play?" asked Haru, breaking me out of my trance. Shou whipped out his Yoshiki drumsticks from his other back pocket and followed all of us to the other room. I heard him murmur some praise on our choice of a recording studio. He moved to the drumset and plugged his mp3 player into a speaker, choosing an American song I was familiar with called "Ocean Avenue" by Yellowcard, and set the volume lower. Right on tempo, Shou delivered every beat and moved to the rhythm of the song. I could see Kazu drumming his fingers along as we leaned against the wall.

When the song ended, Shou flipped one drumstick in the air and caught it behind his back, looking towards us, "So, how was it?"

"Not bad at all…actually it was pretty good. You're the 4th person out of 18 to actually show off their skills," said Kazu.

"But before we accept you as one of us…answer me this: Do you own…a PSP?" asked Ryou.

Shou looked confused but answered anyways, "Yeah got it right here, why?" he showed us a black game console.

"Because I'm bored." With that, Ryou snatched the game out of his hands.

"Yeah…anyways. Shouta Ishii…do you swear to stand by the band from this day forth. And to jam with us, whenever necessary. From our first live performance at an open mike, to the day we stand in front of millions…when days aren't lookin so bright, to days where we are pumped up and ready to rock. If there are any objections, speak now or forever hold your peace," said Haru. It was silent. "Well…?" "Uh, yeah I came all this way right?"

"Alright, by the power vested in me, with the people present as witnesses, I now pronounce you: a fellow band member. You may—uh…we'll do final initiations later. But you're in the band, dude." Talk about dramatic.

All five of us moved back to the seating room where we hung out until the next three knocks was heard at 8:15 pm. Ryou decided to open the door personally with the game in hand. He leaned against the doorway, "Yes?"

A girl with curly brown hair and big brown eyes stood there, "Yes, is this where the auditions are being held?" "Yeah."

"I'm in choir and I can play the piano. My name is Riza Kaedo," she said, nervously adjusting the hem of her too-large baby pink pullover. Her Mary-Janes shuffled against the blue flooring and the pale yellow handbag kept slipping off her shoulder every few seconds. Riza looked quite young and innocent with her 5'5 stature, even though I could tell she was about 19-yrs old. I instantly felt bad for her; Riza didn't have the kind of hard-core, 'fallen but still standing, I'm sweet but still badass' look the boys were going for. Fortunately, they were on their best behavior.

Well, as good as a few 20 or so yr old guys can be.

"Alright Miss Kaedo, we're gonna ask some questions-that is, if you don't mind?" asked Ryou, poorly imitating a cop. She just nodded. "What's your favorite dish?"

Riza looked confused but answered nonetheless, "Um eggs steamed over rice and a dorayaki for dessert."

"What's your favorite color?" asked Kazu.

"Lilac."

"Favorite fruit?" tried Haru.

"Peaches."

"Preferred popsicle flavor?" asked Shou.

"Honeydew."

"Favorite item in your day bag?" I asked randomly.

She thought about this for a moment, literally doing the finger against cheek thing, "My bubblegum flavored lip gloss."

She was too sweet to toughen up. But what surprised me was that Haru actually tested her lungs—to not make her feel bad. She sang a sweet little melody; sometimes what you see is what you get.

"Okay Miss Riza, here's the thing…you're well, lovely, but not exactly the hard edge we're looking for," said Ryou in a soothing tone. Oh Kami—for a moment there, I thought she was going to start crying. But what really surprised me was what came out of her mouth next.

"Whatever you stupid talent-less f***ers, I can do more f***in s*** than you. I don't need you sons of b****es—you're all mother f***in c***s! A**holes!" Needless to say, we all gaped at her as she stomped out of the room. (me: I felt the need to sensor out this string of profanities XD)

"Er…what just happened?" I dared to ask, in case the crazy one—er, Riza—was still in earshot. The four boys just shrugged simultaneously. Yeah, I wasn't so sure either.

After a few moments of silence, another few knocks was heard. This time, Shou gave the signal to enter, "What sound does a cow make?"

An unsure voice replied on the other side, "Uh…moo?"

"Excellent! You pass!" I looked over to the purple-haired boy oddly. He shrugged at me and grinned widely, then looked back to the door. I, too, looked and immediately my eyes widened. If I thought Shouta's combination of purple and gold was fascinating, this guy had him beat. His hair was the most interesting shade of gray-silver that wasn't blinding or 'old-looking'. It fit him perfectly. And if that's not all, he had piercing aqua-teal orbs that stood out from the hypothetical crowd. (me: keep in mind this is supposed to be like a normal world, so these combinations are a wow-factor) I realized that I was staring at the guy, or rather we all were, and he shifted his position nervously. "Okay! Introductions then," said Kazu, breaking the silence.

"I'm Kazu. My buddy over there is Haru and next to him is his niece Kioko. To my left and your right is Ryou, and next to him is our newest bandmate, Shouta…so whatcha got for us?"

I saw the new guy's shoulders relax a little bit now that we weren't staring him down. "I'm Yasu Fujimoto, 20 years old, and I can play the piano, keyboard, keytar—you get the point. And I play bass," he said taking a seat on the green chair.

"Alright then. Kioko?" said Haru, looking to me with a smirk, "You've been more or less quiet this evening. How about you ask the questions?" I glared at him; he put me in the spotlight on purpose.

"Sure thing, _uncle_," I replied, emphasizing 'uncle' a little venomously. I looked over to the Fujimoto guy and softened my look. "Okay Yasu. Um…" I searched for a question that wasn't thrown out as much. "…what's your favorite drink?"

"Well…I like Ramune from time to time—original and watermelon. Yakults are pretty good. But my favorite is Jūrokucha."

My eyebrows shot up, earning a concerned look from Yasu. I continued, "So what's your favorite sport." "Judo and kendo," he answered immediately. Interesting.

I decided to throw in a typical question the guys use, "What's your preference on fruits?"

"Hmm…my favorites include mangoes, strawberries, and watermelon. Grapes and cherries are pretty good too. I don't like raspberries very much though." I could see Haru frowning and Kazu laughing silently. I paid them no attention, unlike Yasu who was staring confused until I asked my final question. "Describe your take on one of the best feelings in the world." He turned and looked thoughtfully at me, his piercing teal eyes showing nothing but calm focus.

Shortly after, he responded, "It's hard to describe a feeling, but…say you're trapped in a storm—thunder, lightning, rain. Possibly stuck on the road even though there was a tsunami warning. Everything in the next 30 miles is already full and closed up as a precaution. And there you are, sad, cold, and annoyed at the fact that the road is slippery and clouded and bumpy. You're driving forever and the only headlights you see are your own. And then, a miracle of all miracles happens. The road once rigid goes smooth and the rain stops hammering down so hard. It's drizzling, the fog dissipates, and you see someone in the distance waving you over to safety. You feel just relieved, but you still have the buzz of adrenaline running through your veins. I'd say, that's the best feeling in the world. Maybe it won't come down to that circumstance, but it's just the feeling you get that matters. You get all of this?"

I nodded, impressed on his take regarding my question. It was a similar effect Shou described, but a different context. "Well Mr. Fujimoto, we have a lot more in common than you'd think. Welcome to the band." I smiled at him and he looked shocked to have made it.

"But we didn't even hear him play yet Kioko!" shouted Ryou. I glared at him, "Whatever. He's in anyways." I turned to the person in questioning, "But how about it anyways?"

Yasu blinked a few times before smirking, "Bring it on."

He and Shouta aren't so different after all. Yasu is the boyish, sweet one…and then he goes into badass mode. And despite Shouta's tough guy appearance, the look he gave when describing his 'best feeling' said otherwise. He talked about pillows and blankets for crying out loud! And as we filed into the recording studio once more, I could see the subtle look of excitement on Yasu's face. He brought his keytar along and whipped it out as soon as we were all attentive. For the next minute and a half, we listened to the electrified tune that resounded from the solo he was playing. I recognized it as another American song by a band known as Guns N' Roses (me: the solo from Sweet Child of Mine!). His fingers flew over the correct keys until the last one was hit. Yasu looked up at us and motioned for the bass guitar that sat on the stand near him. He then started playing his portion of Rose by Black Stones (me: the song from NANA that I do not own) and stopped after a while, as not to take up all of our time. He looked at us questionably.

"I believe my niece here said this already but…welcome to the band," said Haru. Yasu broke into a grin and thanked all of us. "Just swear to play with the band, from our first gig to the last, oh and not be an ass or we'll have some issues." I rolled my eyes at his choice of words while Yasu gave his oath and we all headed back to the seating room once more.

"Why did I gotta listen to all that marriage-like crap?" asked Shou, taking the cream-white seat. "Cause I was bored," came Haru's reply.

"So…did you even come up with a band name?" I questioned. Haru tensed up and slapped his forehead. I'll take that as a 'no'.

"How about 'Short Revolution'?" Ryou proposed. "Cause it took a while to find bandmates, as if we were in a war battle."

"What about 'Nine Finger Discount'?" said Shouta. I made a face at the name.

"'Flavored Concept'?" said Kazu. "What does that even mean?" I asked. "Dunno. But it sounded cool." I had to agree on that one.

"'Mythic Alloy'!" declared Haru with a snap.

"That makes it sound like you're on something," I said dryly.

"Then you think of something!" he retorted. I relaxed into my seat and glanced over at Yasu who had been quiet this whole time. And then I got it.

"'Drizzling Thunder'," I simply stated, looking at nothing in particular now. I did see Yasu turn over to me in another thoughtful look. Kazu held his hand to his chin while Ryou was leaning back and staring at the ceiling. Haru, however, looked at me as if I had three heads. And one of them was eating a pencil, while another one was bright orange. "That doesn't even make sense!"

I stared at him now, "Think about it. Thunder is a loud noise, to describe how big of the effect the band will have. And drizzling is thought to be harmless, but then it turns into an all out shower. It's something you didn't bargain for but still get…Yasu gave me the idea." Said boy looked intrigued now. "It's like he said; when you're trapped in a storm things are lookin bad—the end-of-the-world feeling right? But then something totally unexpected happens, and things are lookin brighter now. You think something, but then something different occurs. Drizzling turns into showers but they will stop eventually. And thunder…it can't do anything but frighten you. It's lightning you needa look out for." By the expression on Haru's face, it still showed confusion. The others though, they looked contemplative.

"Yeah…I see what you mean. It's not saying we're bad, we're unique. Something unexpected and makes a statement. It defies what the human mind assumes," Kazu said in a revelation. Shou, Ryou, and Yasu nodded appreciatively.

"Exactly," I grinned out. Haru scratched his head but agreed anyways, "So here on out fellas, we're 'Drizzling Thunder'."

It was 11pm by the time Haru, Kazu, and I arrived back at our apartment. Soon after reaching a decision on their band name, we went to a _real_ restaurant—the one Haru had originally promised me. Then, it was time to part ways for now.

I slumped back to my room and changed as quickly as possibly, letting my body fall back onto the soft duvet. I definitely could tell what Shou meant about the whole bed thing.

Shifting to the side, I gazed into the black beaded eyes of my teddy bear. My mind replayed the day's events, all the way to the end of my wild evening.

My first night in Tokyo…and it was promising.

It was a lot to take in at once, but I'm glad that Haru was being an idiot and dragged me to band auditions. I'd have to find a way to get him back. The black digits of my alarm clock glowed lime green with the night sky, showing 11:20. My lids started to droop down as sleep tried desperately to consume me.

Before my vision faded to black, I saw the familiar faces of a little boy and girl frolicking through the spring's new bloom.

**

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**

Song I used (elevator): 

"'_I hold unto hope as I watch it grow, that someday you will come back to me, and in this season where there are miracles, I know that I'd be with you until the end…that I'd be with you until the end..."_  
"**Loop" - by Maaya Sakamoto; used in Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle**

**Me: **Finally done with chapter three! It took me so long... ): But on the plus side, it's friggin long!

**Honey:** Izze-chan shouldn't feel bad! You did great! Usa-chan thought so too, and so does Takashi.

**Mori:** Ah.

**Me:** Thanks Honey-sempai, Mori-sempai. Well, read on readers! I spent the morning finishing this one up...it's now 3 and I'm gonna go eat lunch. d: Love you all! **And as a reminder, I have pictures on my profile so check them out. :)**

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**© 2010 MidnightThunder. All rights reserved. **Disclaimer at the top of the page; please view. I love you all but any plagiarism results in giving me permission to kick your ass into the middle of May. **Thx. :)**


	5. Like Meeting a Prince Kinda

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club and all its characters/places/original ideas, just the OCs and my own random ideas. Ouran belongs to the ingenious Bisco Hatori (author) and Takuya Igarashi (anime director).** Sorry in advance if the original characters are a little OOC.

**Me: I am so sorry. It took me forever to update T_T My sister was hogging the computer because she decided to just start her summer homework..of her senior year. Yeah, that's smart. But anyways here it is-Chapter 4** (longer as compensation!)**! Enjoy~~~! :3  
**

**Tamaki: So cute! *lunges towards me***

**Me: Nyeeaah! *Flinches back* Mae-geri! *Kick!***

**Tamaki: *flies back* My own daughter is against me... *anime tears***

**Me: On the plus side, Kioko gets her first encounter with the host club! **

**Tamaki: That's wonderful! X3 3 *glomps out of no where* **

**Me: I should've seen that coming..anyway, small recap time: It was late and Kioko fell asleep to a past memory. She's about to get a rude awakening.**

Review or message please. This is my first work on Fanfiction…so be gentle with me? **Thanks in abundance. :)**

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**Chapter 4:**

The sun's rays were peaking through the windows of the once darkened room. A familiar purple-haired teen loomed over the dark covers of the bed. And snuggled comfortably in a deep sleep was none other than Kioko Yukimura. The golden-eyed boy was put to the task of waking up said girl, unwarned and left in a daze. He tried to usual "Wake up" accompanied by a shake, sitting on the duvet and bouncing up and down, and even blasting music from a nearby stereo system. Just as all hope was lost, a light bulb went off. And not just figuratively.

The boy looked to his clasped hands and clapped again, causing the lights to go dark. Shaking his head, he inhaled and exhaled, "Kioko I'm gonna eat all your waffles!" he said with a grin. But that grin soon faded when a hand collided with his chin. "Don't you dare Haru!"

Kioko bolted upright and noticed her victim was definitely not her uncle. It took a moment for her eyes to focus and the nausea of moving too fast to pass over. "Shit!—I mean, crap Shou! Jeez can't a girl get some sleep around here?"

Oddly enough, Shouta was smiling while holding his chin with one hand and proceeded towards the door, "Just get dressed. Your uncle wants to talk to you." Once the door was closed, Kioko sat there for a little, remembering yesterday's events. Then a flash of realization hit her, and she looked down to see her black spaghetti strap that had a giant blue heart reading "Hugs are lovely". Her cheeks started to burn as she noticed Shou got a full view of her neon blue girl boxers. Grumbling, Kioko got up and did the usual hygienic routine, slipped on loose plaid shorts and a babydoll shirt, and made her way to living room.

As expected, the rest of the band was sitting around flicking through TV channels…or getting breakfast ready (ie: Kazu and Yasu). She went over to the kitchen to help out, but they were nearly finished. So instead, Kioko jumped onto the recliner just in time to hear Shou's remark.

"You know, blue looks nice on you but I think purple is more your color." Not being able to muster up a comeback yet, she merely stuck her tongue out at him and he reciprocated. The others watched their child-like antics with confusion. Before any of them could ask, breakfast was served. Because the table was too small to fit everyone, they all sat on the sofa and got food from the table as they pleased.

"So let's get down to business," said Haru, using his chopsticks to pick up a soft tofu that just wouldn't cooperate. I stared at him and continued to eat my congee until further explanation. "We need a singer." I gave him a cross-eyed look as if to say "Did you forget your main position?"

"What he means is—people love variety. So we need a _female_ singer too," Ryou clarified. "And the three that showed up missed the bull's eye and struck the poor gardener." What was he going on about?

"Especially the last girl," said Kazu. We shuddered at the memory of Riza, all except Yasu who was spared the experience. "And that's where you come in."

"But I can't sing…" I started. But they wouldn't have it. "The elevator begs to differ," said Haru who pointed out yesterday's ride down to the garage.

"Just to be safe, we're going to have to give you an audition," finished Ryou as he set down his bowl and chopsticks on the coffee table. When did they plan all of this? "Haru here called us up at 3 am, saying you'd be perfect for the band." I see…Haru.

I looked over to my uncle who was now doing the dishes to dodge my evil eye, a rare sight indeed. Shouta happily shoved a mic into my hands and gestured to the flat screen, song selected and everything. The silver-haired male of the group pressed 'resume' on the game controller and the sudden burst of upbeat tunes flooded the room, making me miss the first verse. Kazu 'Tsk'ed' at me, saying something about already being in the negative points, and paused the game. He waited until I downed my green tea and gave him the 'OK' to restart. I took in a deep breath.

"_I'm calling the star rise! Yuuyami ni kagayaki dasu, negai tachi. Kono te no naka…oritekite nagareboshi~…Madobe de, suashi no mama, yoru o miagete. Nemurenai, tsukiakari hitori~~…Me no mae o, chiratsuiteku, hiruma no watashi. Jibun dake…karamawari de…modokashii mama..! I'm calling the star rise! Me o tojite, kokoro no koe-kiiterumada shiranai…watashi ni deaitai. I'm calling the star rise! Mabayuku, kagayaiteru, negai tachi. Kono te no naka…oritekite nagareboshi~..!_" Pause. "Well, that was a good enough audition for me. Agreed?" said Kazu. The others nodded and looked slightly dazed. Lack of sleep is getting to them.

Haru came back from doing the dishes (still shocking) and grinned at me, "Hello bandmate!" I frowned, "Just because I had a good audition doesn't mean I _want_ to be in the band." Five faces dropped, figuratively speaking. "B-but Kioko! We need you~~!" pleaded Kazu, giving me his best puppy dog face in prayer position. I looked away from his adorable green eyes only to see gold, sapphire, teal, and chocolate brown orbs mimicking the exact same thing. My girly side got the better of me and I complied, turning those frowns upside down.

And just as I was about to explode on Haru for his idiocy, he handed be a bag. The same bag I saw him set down after the quick reunion with Kazu that consisted of making lunch. Instead of questioning him I pulled out a black box and my features brightened. "You got me a new phone?" I stated, forgetting all about his weird antics. My original one was long overdue. After a quick hug, I flipped open my new lime green cell and noticed everything was already programmed the way I wanted. "I transferred everything over already," said Haru. He must've taken my phone without me knowing.

"Now what?" Yasu spoke, for the first time today. Good question, now what? Ryou offered a solution, "Can we play Spoons now?"

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***FF-TIME SKIP!: Monday, April 17th **(me: I read somewhere that in Japan school term goes something like this…so that's why it's April…yeah.*****

_'"Well Kioko, what are you waiting for? Open it up!" exclaimed the man who wore a huge grin. The girl, whose hair was done in ringlets and adorned a tiara, eagerly opened up her present. She took out the electronic device out of its box and stared at it in wonder._

_"Daddy, isn't this yours?" she asked, gazing at the black cell phone in her hands. "I figured that this way, we will always be able to talk even when I'm away on business. And that way Mommy won't be able to listen in on our conversations," he whispered the last part out with a sly smile, waving an identical phone in the air. _

_"I may be in the other room, but my ears work just fine," said a woman, carrying a cake out to the dining table. She kissed the man on the cheek, earning a "Blech!" from the small girl. But her scrunched up face gleamed with excitement when she caught site of the beautiful creation in front of her. A specially-made cake with real buttercream icing, vanilla cake, and ice cream filling—topped with fresh strawberries. _

_An elderly lady came into view with two boys, a red-head and a dark-haired one. Both were no more than 15 years old. They handed Kioko colorfully wrapped presents and sat down at the table. The maroon-haired boy was eager to have a taste of the recently baked cake, and swiped his finger across the side, taking some of the icing off. He sighed contently and the birthday girl followed suit. They both praised the boy with emerald eyes hidden behind glasses that flushed at the comments—the boy giving him a hearty slap on the back. _

_The younger woman shook her head at them but smiled anyways, snapping pictures of them as Kioko continued to unwrap her presents—forgetting all about the cake for now. She acquired a new bracelet, a homemade mixed CD, shoes, and a picture-frame. Then, it came time to blow out the candles. The lights were dimmed and they sung the traditional birthday song. When the song ended, she made her wish, thinking it in her head, 'I wish Keitaro will get better soon.' And she blew out all 9 candles._

_They all cheered and the lights came back on. More pictures were taken throughout the evening, but the 9-yr old couldn't help but worry about Kei. He was too sick to join in the celebration. It made the little girl sad to know that her best friend in the entire world was ill. The ground started the shake—'_

Wait, what? Fully grown 16-yr old Kioko woke up to the sight of a familiar pair of boys, one with maroon hair and another with black. Both were bouncing up and down on either sides of her, signaling the start of a new day. She would've yelled at them, if it weren't for the fact that today was the day she'd start school at Ouran Academy. And for once, she was scared.

Ushering the boys out of her room, Kioko readied herself for her first day, performing the hygienic routine and cramming in the essential school things into her sand-colored canvas messenger bag: pencils, pens, notebook, calculator, her schedule, and a folder. But then the real problem struck her—what was she supposed to wear? Her uniform had not arrived yet and the Academy wasn't exactly a 'shorts-and-a-tee' place. Kioko riffled through her semi-formal clothing and ended up wearing a military green wrap top and black leggings with (another surprise from Haru) black ankle boots. Good enough, she decided and swung her preferred schoolbag over her shoulder, making her way to the living room.

Kazu, apparently late for his morning Monday classes, was already out the door and shouted a "Good luck!" over his shoulder. Haru on the other hand was calmly waiting for Kioko with a glass of juice and a banana nut muffin in hand, fresh out the oven as it seems. She took the morning peace offerings with a nervous smile and grabbed her bento. They were out the door and in the silver Nissan in a matter of moments.

...

The ride was silent except for the stereo that belted out songs from Haru's collection.  
"Hey, Haru?" I turned to the mumbling figure next to me. He was nodding along to "Crawl" by Veltpunch (me: used in Nabari no Ou…I was too lazy to actually write the lyrics :p) and quietly singing along. "Hm?" he replied.

"Do you think that this was a good idea? I don't exactly fit in with the wealthy kids…I'd have a better chance at Ouran Public High School."

He glanced at me quickly before his eyes settled on the road ahead, "But there was a reason why you're going here, remember? And where did that warrior spirit go? Go make some friends, join a club, whatever. And don't do anything I wouldn't do." That's not exactly limiting me…

I sighed outward and opened the door, getting a better look at the massive school. Did it get…bigger? Brushing the thought aside, I leaned into the window and gave Haru a mock-kiss on the cheek, and then did a two-finger salute. His car headed back down the road, leaving me standing on the sidewalk. Well, here goes everything.

* * *

I'm lost. The hallways seem never-ending and the outside courtyards aren't any better. Was the school always this pink? There's nobody in sight and I can't even find an office of some sort to ask for directions.

It had already been a week into the first term, meaning I had some make-up work to do. But how could I if I couldn't even find the right classroom? And—shit!

"C-crap! I'm sorry," I said to the brunette dressed in a male's uniform. Nice job Kioko, crash into an innocent person and cause both of you to fall on your bums. Luckily, he was very courteous. "It's no problem," he said, standing up and offering a hand to me. I accepted the help and brushed myself off. He looked at my clothes, "Are you a new student?"

I nodded in response, "But, I uh, a-am sorta lost…Where's Class 1-A?" He gave me a friendly smile, "Don't worry. You'll get used to the size of the school. And that's the same class I'm in, so you can follow me." He extended a hand, "I'm Haruhi Fujioka. And you?"

"Kioko Yukimura," I said, shaking his hand. He said some pleasantries and we walked along for a little bit until Haruhi stopped at a door. He went in first and I followed. I didn't get very far when the teacher announced my arrival.

"Ah, Mr. Fujioka glad you could rejoin us—to your seat now. And a new student? Very well, introduce yourself!" she ushered me over to the front of the class where everyone judged me on the spot. No pressure. But I did see Haruhi give me an apologetic look.

"U-um. I'm Y-yukimura, Kioko. I, er, just moved from Osaka, yeah." I fiddled with the black ribboned bow I tied onto the strap of my bag. "And no uniform?" she questioned. "It didn't, um, a-arrive yet." She nodded and pointed to the empty seat, "Please, take a seat in front of Mr. Fujioka." I hastily made my way over, ignoring the wandering eyes of the males and the judging looks the girls were giving me. First impression?—Failure.

* * *

"Hey Haruhi, who's the new girl you towed in?" asked Hikaru. "Yeah, and where did you even find her at?" Kaoru continued.

The brunette shrugged, "I know as much as you do right now. I bumped into her in the halls; she was lost. It took me a while to figure out the main layout of the school, so I don't blame her."

Hikaru rubbed his chin, "Her clothes don't seem to have any high brand name. Is she a 'commoner'?"

"It's hard to tell, but maybe Kyouya-sempai knows what's up," the younger twin proposed, holding a finger up.

"Well I think you should just leave her alone. Don't give her such a hard time on her first day here," said Haruhi, being the sensible one out of the trio. The red-headed brothers shrugged at each other and went back to half listening about their studies.

* * *

I can feel the stares of other students boring into my skin from all directions. The most noticeable were the people glancing over their shoulders every time the teacher had her back turned. Why did I have to start school a week into the term already?

Oh yeah, because of my conditions. That sucks.

On the plus side, I think I made a new friend..? Haruhi Fujioka, male student at Ouran Academy, and one who doesn't seem to judge others with ferocity. But there's something not quite…right…with him. Different—but not necessarily in a bad way. Hold on a second Kioko, where's the pause button to your rambling mind? You don't want to push your luck by accusing your first maybe-friend.

Great, I'm talking in third person. What are we evening learning about? Oh, Literature—my worst subject. Well since I'm destined to do poorly on the subject, better make the most of this class.

'_What Not To Do As A Newcomer_ by Kioko Yukimura

_1)_ Collide into other students in the halls_  
Deux) _Forget to ask the Dean if you could have a map of the school_  
Three)_ Attract further unwanted attention by not wearing the appropriate attire_  
四__)_ Forget how to engage in proper conversation_  
5)_ Losing your ninja skills and nervously introduce yourself to the class_  
Roku)_ Act like a complete outsider_  
Sev_—'

"Yukimura-san, you have been quiet this whole time. And had your eyes have been glued to that paper, hand scribbling away. Do you have any questions regarding classic literature during the Heian period?"

I felt the pen ease itself out of my grasp as my palms started sweating. It felt like a spotlight was being directed right at me, and it was, giving the other students an opportunity to fully survey my appearance. I looked to my teacher and shook my head, "G-gomenasai, sensei. Um, Ts-tsudukete ku-kudasai." My mouth felt dry and the tense expression I wore slowly faded as the lesson continued. And so did the whispers of the class.

"Wow, she's so weird."

"What's she doing here anyways?"

"Could she be a 'commoner'?"

There's…a name for "people like me"…A _Commoner_. Being of common origin. Unlike them.

'_Seven)_ Agitate your teacher on the first day and disrupt the lesson plan_  
8)_ Being marked as the odd-one out in just a matter of minutes.'

I closed my notebook and set down my blue inked pen, forcing myself to tune into the works of early 11th century fiction. And ignoring the further stares of my intrigued and/or repulsed—and one concerned look—classmates.

***FF-TIME SKIP!: Ohiru **(me: I don't like writing class-time scenes…)*****

Finally! Lunch time…I was beginning to think the class would never end. And as expected, the other students filed out of the room in a random blur, making sure to bypass my desk. Those unlucky enough to actually have to walk by shot me a dirty look. It also looks like the Fujioka-san left the room, accompanied by two red-headed twins…leaving me alone in the classroom. Even our sensei left.

Although, class wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Literature still sucks, but I understood it—for the most part, and History was pretty easy along with math. And now, I get to enjoy the lunch our newly formed band bonded over that Saturday night. I remained sitting in my seat and unwrapped the bento, remembering that day's events, which seemed even crazier than my Friday evening.

_'"Can we play Spoons now?" asked the sapphire-eyed male. The other 5 thought this over and nodded in agreement, making him smile. "Alright, but here's how it's gonna work. We're gonna be doing 'Ultimate Spoons'. And to spice it up even more, losers either do a dare or go by the 'Eating Spoons' variation. Got it?" And again, the others nodded, but a bit more hesitantly._

_Ryou's smile grew into a toothy grin, signaling his excitement as he led the group to a more open area. The large group sat in a circle on the floor and collaborated on spoon locations. Finally, they decided on the placement: One under the seat of Kazu's bike in the garage, another at the top of the fridge, one tied on a string hanging off the balcony railing, one in a shampoo bottle in the spare bathroom, and the last taped to the door of an apartment neighbor two hallways down (me: it's a big apartment complex) with a note saying 'playing Spoons, do not remove'. After all the spoons were placed in their respective spots, all 6 returned to the floor where the spoons in the apartment were of equal distance apart on all sides._

_Half an hour had passed already, and yet no one has made a move to claim a spoon. The only girl among boys was starting to get impatient and voiced her opinions aloud. But just as it looked like no one was going to win any time soon, there it was. Four of a kind. She gasped, which was a dead give-away, but she reacted much faster. The teen dropped her cards in a fanned out fashion to display her four jack's, ran over to kitchen, jumped high and grabbed the spoon, clutching it close to her chest. Then, chaos ensued._

_Ryou, who was closest to the bathroom, headed for that spoon and came out with a hand full of shampoo, but a spoon nonetheless. Yasu went for the balcony and pulled on the thin string that held the spoon and successfully retrieved it. The remaining three boys were out the door in seconds. The three with spoons walked calmly out the door without bothering each other, as if having the spoons created a secret pact. They noticed that Kazu was smart enough to leave his shoes and socks, making it easier for him to maneuver his way through the halls without slipping. Not too long after, a loud thump was heard along with some voices: "GOT IT!" followed by a "Who the hell are you!" and Kazu's form running back to the fellow spoon acquirers. _

_Minutes later, the purple-haired boy showed up at the door with a spoon tucked safely under his leather belt. The four in the room looked up upon his arrival. "What happened to you?" asked Kioko, inspecting his dirtied-up face and ruffled clothes. Shou smirked in response, "We pushed each other in the elevator and I got a face-full of cement when the elevator doors opened." The others winced. "But I grabbed his ankle before he could run off and he fell to the floor. He tackled me to the ground but got a leg cramp so I threw him off, got the spoon, and rode the elevator back up." Shortly after his explanation, Haru appeared looking glum and spoonless. He lost the round, and would either have to do a dare or eat random contents. The maroon-haired boy chose the second, earning a sinister look from Ryou. The brown-haired boy happily made his way over to the kitchen, fumbling with things and came back with the spoon. It had a raspberry on it…topped spray cheese and soy sauce. Haru's face scrunched up at the gross combination but swiftly ate the concoction. He shuddered at the taste._

_To start the new round, all 6 bandmates agreed that the game would proceed as normal Spoons. But as the game progressed, they added and took away variations of the game. In one round, Ryou being the dealer tricked Shou into picking up his cards early. In another, Kazu was first to grab a spoon and swept all the other ones away, making Ryou and Yasu wrestle for the remaining spoon. Near the end of the game, the 'No Talking' was ensued, and Haru fell for Shou's easy-going attitude and ended up jumping to his level of 'SPO'. By this time, Ryou and Yasu were already out. Shou followed suit after Kioko won another round; she nicely chucked a spoon at Kazu's head when no one would claim the remaining after she did. It came down to Haru and Kioko at the end, and the 'No Talking' rule was abolished. Kazu, Shou, Ryou, and Yasu watched the relative-rivalry intently wondering who would win. Twenty-Five minutes into the final round with both at 'SPOO', Haru grinned with just a pinch of excitement._

_"OH YEAH! Read it and weep!" he yelled, throwing down his cards to reveal four eight's as he jumped into the air. His brown orbs danced with laughter as he celebrated in a victory dance. His niece watched him with a raised brow and reached over to grab the last spoon. Two words broke Haru out of his spell, "I win."'_

I shook my head—Haru and his cockiness. Then, I remembered how we switched the game to Kemps and I partnered with Yasu. Our secret move was any change in the movement of our eyebrows, and we were left unnoticed each time we added another letter. In the end, we won. By then, it was late enough for dinner and everyone pitched in to make the meal. It was very amusing to watch a group of 19+ yr old boys swat each other with cooking utensils and argue over how to dice vegetables. After everything had calmed down, Kazu said he'd make my lunch for Monday, and everyone wanted to join in—odd, for a couple of guys.

_'"Hey, what the yell Ryou! I was gonna make the panda ones!" Shou gave the brown-haired boy a shove. "Yeah, then you shoulda called it earlier!" he retorted, carefully shaping out the ears. Kazu rolled his eyes at them and placed the tiny beak on his chicken. Then, he noticed something off. _

_"Okay, who took my other chicken's cheek?" Haru glanced over to his friend and hid behind Yasu, making pink triangles for his kitty. Kazu, in turn, grumbled and remade the cheeks. Kioko was busy making the baby chicks while silver-haired Yasu finished up the Domos. The golden-eyed boy, now agitated, made the puppies instead, shaping the brown to his desired form.'_

I picked up a lion with my bare hands and examined the handiwork of Shouta—hm, not bad. The food met the inside of my mouth—not bad tasting either. So I continued to munch on my meal in silence. Then, the weirdest thing happened. I thought I had heard the creaking of a door opening, so I glanced over, but the door was closed shut just as I did. Um…okay?

I don't remember how long I sat there after my lunch was devoured, but the bell rang and instantly the classroom flooded with students who, thankfully, ignored me rather than staring me down. And so continues the rest of the school day; I look up wistfully at the giant clock tower, awaiting the moment the little hand marks '3' and the larger hand '12'. For now, however, I'd have to sit through the lessons on the Japanese language, sciences, and et cetera.

So when the glorious sound of freedom struck my ear canals, I nearly jumped with joy. I didn't. Instead, I hurriedly exited Class 1-A, beating a few of my alleged 'haters' to the door. The first day of school was always rough, but that didn't mean it doesn't feel great to be let out. My shoes thumped lowly against the flooring with my fast pace that slowed with each coming second. Who was supposed to pick me up? Kazu was at the bakery and Haru was finishing his afternoon classes. In an instant, my good mood went sour. So instead of resting comfortably in my well-adapted apartment, I roamed the pink buildings that made up Ouran Academy. And almost subconsciously, my feet led me to the familiar Music Rooms I passed by during my school tour. I had forgotten where everything else is, and yet I stood in front of the one place I was curious about. And like a cat, I sought out some kind of closure for my roaming thoughts. Mistake Number Nine.

"Only those with _excellent_ social standing and those from filthy rich families are lucky enough to spend their time here at the Elite Private School, Ouran Academy. The Ouran Host Club is where the school's _handsomest_ boys with have too much time on their hands entertain young ladies, who also have _way_ too much time on their hands. Just think of it as Ouran Academy's elegant playground for the super rich and beautiful. **Welcome**."

A flurry of rose petals flew past me from out of nowhere, revealing 7 people who called themselves a 'Host Club'. Aren't host clubs supposed to be…well, forms of intimate entertainment? …And a group of high school level boys are in one? WHAT KIND OF SCHOOL IS THIS?

One of them must've noticed the slightly shocked and spazzed out look I had because they said, "Hey, you're that new girl." I searched for the person who said that and saw the same red-headed twins in my class. Along with—you guessed it—Haruhi Fujioka. Who'd have thought someone who seems so innocent like him was in a host club? I looked from person to person until my eyes fixated on a boy with blond hair and purple-blue eyes. It's the Dean's son!

"You know who he is?" I heard one of the twins say. Oh lovely, I'm thinking out loud again!

Everyone was staring me down with a thoughtful look—it made me nervous. "Um, y-yeah. Isn't he, erm…damn what was the name again?" I said the last part mostly to myself. There was this strange wailing noise and I looked over to see the guy in a dark corner, sulking. "So you don't even remember my name…" Alarmed, I replied, "N-no! I mean, it's…O-oh yeah! You're Tamaki Suoh, Second Year student, son of the Headmaster." He immediately went into "happy mode" again and started going on about something.

"So Boss, how _do_ you know her?" Did I hear correctly, 'cause I'm pretty sure he called him 'Tono'. Well, the 'Boss' was now done with his eccentric mumbling and looked thoughtful once more. "Hm, I'm not sure." My eye twitched—he doesn't even remember my name. "AND YOU GO ALL DEPRESSED WHEN I DON'T KNOW _YOUR_ NAME?" I'll admit, not a very good first impression, to have some random girl yelling at their 'leader'. Like I said: mistake number nine. Thankfully, Fujioka-san came to my aid, "She's the new student who started today. I don't know much, but her name is—"

"Kioko Yukimura, age 16, First Year in Class 1-A, currently resides at the Yoshida-Hisakawa residence. Interesting, how you got accepted into Ouran's private school." My eyes flickered to a black-haired boy with glasses, black book in hand. I'm pretty sure I've never met him before…then again, it is my first day and people tended to avoid me, referring to me as "the new girl" or my personal favorite—"_her_". "How do you—" "It is odd. Aside from Haruhi Fujioka here on scholarship, you're the closest one to being of a 'commoner' social standing." There it was again, the word 'commoner'. I mean, _sheesh_ it's not like I'm an alien monster here to wreak havoc all over Japan. That's Godzilla's job. But before I could tell the guy off, Haruhi interrupted, "You can come if you'd like." I realized then that I was still standing at the door, and blushed a little, walking over to one of the sofas they had. And instead of sitting down on the red velvety seats like I had, they formed a semi-circle around me. Again with the staring… Though, I guess I was doing it too. "Um, so who are you guys exactly? And why did you make a 'Host Club'?"

"We are here to grant every wish through the hearts of female students here at Ouran Academy! It is our job to satisfy them to their heart's content—with me as the Club's glorious leader! What kind of guy do you prefer? The wild, strong & silent type? Or maybe the boy-lolita or 'natural' type. The mischievous, devil type or the cool type? Or maybe you'd prefer more chivalry, the Prince type. One that you kind find in me…" He leaned in closely from where I was sitting so his purple orbs stared directly into my brown ones. Needless to say, I blushed heavily. "U-um, w-well I, uh—"

"Cut it out Sempai. I think she just wanted our names." Haruhi to the rescue again. He pushed Tamaki aside, "You already know my name. The one who knew so much about you was Kyouya Ootori, Second Year Student, and Vice-President of the Club. The 'devil twins' are known as the Hitachiin brothers—Hikaru and Kaoru; Hikaru is older twin. They sit behind your neighboring desks. Tamaki-sempai is the 'Host Club King' because he was the one who created it. The tall one is Takashi Morinozuka, Mori for short. He's a Third Year and doesn't talk much. Last but not least…"

A small boy with strawberry blonde hair appeared and interrupted him, "Hi! I'm Mitsukini Haninozuka, Honey for short. It's nice to meet you! Usa-chan thinks so too." He thrusted a pink bunny into my face; aw, how cute. What's someone so small doing in the Host Club? Haruhi continued, "Honey-sempai loves sweets, cake especially. He's a Third Year like Mori-sempai." My eyes widened dramatically; Third Year student? But he's so adorable looking! I swear there are floating flowers surrounding him. "Don't worry, I reacted like that too when I first found out." I started to nod back but somebody grabbed me by the arms and pulled me up, two somebodies. They started to exam my outfit, "Hm, not bad. Don't you think, Kaoru?"

"For a commoner, she does have good taste in clothes." Okay…so the one on the right is Hikaru and the one on the left is Kaoru. Got it. "Um, thank you?" I replied. "But that still doesn't explain why she can afford to go here." From the behind the twins, I could see the Ootori guy start to speak, so I cut him off, "My dad owns a small finance/loans company. And my mom works with recreation and clothing departments." Everyone but Ootori looked like they believed it. It wasn't a lie—my father does have a small company, and my mother did work with those things…but it wasn't the complete truth. Side-stepping the twins, I changed the subject, "So, what did you mean by 'aside from' Fujioka-san?" Mistake 9 ⅓.

"Well, our little Haruhi here is a commoner, much like yourself. She is attending Ouran on a scholarship and must maintain her grades to stay a student here," said Tamaki, coming into view once more. "Then why's she spending studying time in a Host Club..?" I muttered quietly.

"I'd hate to interrupt such a stimulating conversation, but we do have guests to tend to. It's been ten after the Host Club was open for business. Meaning…" Kyouya pushed up his glasses and created a glare, "We are losing profit the longer we keep talking. I'd hate to do this to a newcomer but I'm afraid you'll have to make up for the time you've wasted." I looked at him like he was crazy, but he continued. "So, for today you get to do the coffee runs and prepare the snacks and drinks for the guests as compensation." (me: I think I captured his personality quite nicely XD) "Ooh, tough break," said the Hitachiin twins in unison. When did I become this Club's "water-boy"? Or in this case, "coffee-girl".

* * *

That was uncomfortable. Not the whole fact that every guest happened to be a girl and pretty much the entire female population at Ouran Academy dislikes me for a reason I'm unaware of. Or the fact that they were all whispering or at least thinking "Why is _she_ here?", "How come the Host Club let _her_ in?", and/or "_Oh_, it's the new girl". And it wasn't because I had to serve people tea and coffee and offer snackage to munch on. It was because of the maid/servant outfit they made me wear. By "they" I meant it was Tamaki the Host King's doing. Outfit provided by mommy Hitachiin.

…Why?

Never mind that, here's how it—roughly—went down: Guilt got the better of me so I agreed to the job, even though Haruhi did try to persuade Ootori otherwise. When the guests were finally let in, I had already been forced into the rather short, frilly maid's uniform. However, the rest of Hosts were also dressed in beautifully made kimonos, so I didn't stand out too much. Some girls complained about the Club opening later subtly (not)…which, was actually code for: that new girl is such a bad influence/company to have around. Why I ought of—

I was moderately surprised when they told me to buy 'commoner's' coffee (pre-ground). Then I found out Haruhi first introduced it. Of course. Well, many girls shot me dirty looks as I served the drinks and snacks, but the Hosts kept them preoccupied, making my job easier. As I walked by and smiled at the girls who were slowing killing me in their minds, I passed by just in time to see Hikaru and Kaoru get up close and personal, saying something about "undressing". My eyes widened and I almost tripped over my own feet as the heat rose in my cheeks. Later, I discovered this was their 'Brotherly Love' Act—very popular among their guests. I had to admit, there was a certain…je ne sais quoi about it. But at the time, I wheeled the cart away as quickly as possible. Next, I arrived at Tamaki's sofa area and smiled kindly at the scowling ladies. Suddenly, Suoh-san squealed "adorable!" and glomped me in front of the now glaring females. After a while, I was able to pry myself away from his hold with a reddened face and stopped at Haruhi's table. He was very polite and charmed the ladies effortlessly. In other words, a natural.

It was actually Mitsukini, or Honey-sempai, who was the most delighted to see me. He shouted out "Yuki-chan!" as I approached their table. I blinked and paused. For a moment, Honey's honey-colored mess of hair turned reddish brown and more unkempt, his eyes darkening to a chocolate brown. "W-what did y-you say?" I stuttered out. He tilted his head, "Um, Yuki-chan? Kyouya is Kyou-chan, so you're Yuki-chan! Do you not like that nickname?" Honey looked saddened at the very thought so I shook my head frantically. "N-no, no! It's fine. Just fine…"

_'Two kids sat outside on the porch stairs, pointing out random shapes the mass of fluffy clouds formed. They were small in both size and age, no bigger than 7 yrs and 4 ft tall. The girl said something and pointed at a particularly odd-shaped cloud, causing both to laugh openly. This continued for a little while until the boy fisted his open palm. "I got it," he declared. "I'm gonna call you Yuki-chan." The girl looked at him, "Why?" _

_He smiled, "'Kioko' is too long." "By one letter! And why not Kio-chan? Then we'd match—Kei and Kio," the girl replied. The boy frowned slightly, "Cause it's specialer." _

_"We have the same last name," she pointed out, looking at her little brother in confusion. He in turn pouted cutely and folded his small arms together, making the girl giggle and finally agree. His frown dissipated and he faced the blue sky, pointing out a 'panda-cloud'.'_

I ended up zoning out on Honey and Mori-sempai, but they didn't seem to notice. I resumed my duties and offered them a slice of cake, which Honey accepted without hesitation. The girls were too in awe to glare at me, and Honey's very kawaii demeanor was entrancing, so I was in their company for a while. Honey-sempai ended up telling me how great it was that I was here and confided in Mori-sempai. He simply nodded and replied "Ah". Haruhi was right—not much to be said by him. Anyhow, the only Host who didn't receive any sort of offerings—not that he'd been very accommodating—was Kyouya-sempai. So, I wheeled the cart over to where he was sitting. I started to speak but was cut off, again, "You know, before with what I said…I was talking about the events that led you to here in Tokyo." He looked up from his scribblings and smirked at me. From this close up, Kyouya looked a bit like pre-Kazu. Except, Kazu's hair wasn't nearly that coiffed, his glasses were more squared, and his eyes were a deep green…Okay, fine that was a lot of differences. And let's not forget, Kazu is much kinder.

Instead of offering him something from my spread, I stalked (stomped) off the best I could in the matching stilettos that were also forced on me. Takes a while to balance and get used to. Later, I also found out Kyouya was the 'Shadow King' according to the Hitachiin brothers. Course, when they spoke I kept blushing from their previous actions. Anyways, I could see why he was known as that…but I didn't understand why he doesn't actually partake in the 'wooing of the women'. Although, I'm not so sure how well that'd pan out. After that, everything went pretty smoothly even with the crying-using-teardrops scenario…All except for the crazy girl who slapped Tamaki and made him go completely nutso. I mean, rude much? She-who-went-by-Renge Houshakuji said she was Kyouya's fiancée, to which I replied, "Why didn't anyone tell me Ootori-san was engaged?" And apparently, Tamaki had the same thought and went to a dark corner. I heard the twins saying something about Kyouya being 'Mommy' and Tamaki being 'Daddy'…insert laughing montage. Anyway, as it turns out he wasn't…he just looked like a character from her dating game. I may not know Kyouya-sempai, but I knew something was off when Renge started saying how he was gazing lovingly at flowers and how he was a gentleman and kind to everyone—HA! Well, back to my story.

That's when Mistake 9 ⅔ occurred. Renge, apparently, loves cosplay and found my maid kimono to be "too cute!" and wanted to know where I'd got it. I told her it was specially made and she could have it, cause I was getting tired of wearing it. That's code for: it attracts too much attention, especially at the market. And _that's_ when she took it a little too seriously and wanted the dress, right on spot. She even tried to take it off for me! Renge got up to pulling down one sleeve of the dress and loosening the ribbon on the corset-like top. It would've continued till I was done to my undergarments if Mori hadn't picked her up from under his arm. I thanked him and he gave me a small smile in return. Then, I slipped off to redress in my normal attire as the guests were becoming scarce to none. When I stepped out from behind the curtain, Renge commented on how "pretty" I had looked earlier. I realized then that she was the girl at the door during lunch. Cause I'm pretty sure I would've remembered her. Renge was…loud. She went on this spree about how she could be the Host Club's lady manager, and I guess they agreed in a way.

When closing time was official and Renge had gone, I faced the Hosts and asked them a question that had been poking in my mind, "When were you all gonna tell me Haruhi is a girl?" And I guess they were pretty startled by me knowing because they asked, "How did you know?" To which I shrugged and smiled. Sometimes, I get these hunches and they turn out to be true. I actually hadn't meant for the last part to come out, but that was another habit of mine. However, that wasn't the greatest part of my day.

I am currently sitting in a limo with all 7 Club members. It was because I didn't know where I live. Don't get me wrong, I know I live with Haru, my uncle, but the Baka never told me exactly _where_. So, I ended up trudging alongside Tamaki to his father's office for the address. Pretty humiliating. Then, Tamaki thought it would only be proper for a guy to see to it a "lovely lady such as myself" gets home safely. The others wanted to tag along just to see where I live. Did I mention I was going to the Club again tomorrow because Renge ripped part of the sleeve and snatched the cloth tiara so I had to pay it off? Well, it was better than being in Haruhi's situation. I feel for her. But it also cuts in with my plan to work at Kazu's family bakery.

That (oddly) reminds me, I should text my baka of an uncle to let him know I'm alright…And maybe the fact that I'm in a limo with 6 other boys. That would freak him out.

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**Another chapter _finally_ out. Like I said, I feel extremely terrible for taking so long to update. And lots of love and thanks to my readers. Review, would you? :)**

Also, I will be following along with the anime simply because it's easier for me...but not everything will happen the exact same way (duh) ..like Renge for instance. ;P**  
**

**I moved all band-related things onto one thing on my profile.  
Kioko's future visuals will be like that too.**

**HERE is the- Picture of the bento :D** http:/i25(DOT!)tinypic(DOT!)com/2zs6zoy(DOT!)jpg  
andd~~ the-** Picture of the phone will be on my profile **(chya i drew it! :D)**..and if it's not be patient. I'll get to it. :p  
**

**Song used:**  
"_I'm calling the star rise! The wishes… begin to sparkle…in the twilight. Shooting stars, come down into my hands. Barefoot by my window, looking up at the night…Sleepless, alone with the—moonlight~~. What I did, during the day, flickers before my eyes. I'm the only one, spinning my wheels and, I still feel impatient. I'm calling the star rise! I close my eyes, listening, to my heart. I want to meet, the me that I haven't gotten to know yet. I'm calling the star rise! The wishes, are sparkling, brilliantly. Shooting stars, come down into my hands~~!_"**  
"Star Rise" – by Ryou Hirohashi; used in Bamboo Blade**

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**© 2010 MidnightThunder. All rights reserved. **Disclaimer at the top of the page; please view. I love you all but any plagiarism results in giving me permission to kick your ass into the middle of May. **Thx. :)**


	6. Round Two

I feel really bad for taking so long with the updates. ): But here's chapter five! And thanks for all those who've been really patient with me.

**Shou: Sweet I get to do the Disclaimer. Alright then, Izze doesn't Ouran. Bisco Hatori does. But apparently she created me and the rest of the band and the other OCs.****  
Me: Sorry in advance if the original characters are a little OOC. **Small recap: Kioko got mixed in with the Ouran Host Club and became a non-official "coffee-girl". She got a ride home with the Hosts because her uncle was too much of a baka to make arrangements.  
**Haru: I heard that!****  
Me: I know you did. Now shush and bow down to your creator!  
**

**Review or message please. **This is my first work on Fanfiction…so be gentle? **Thanks in abundance. :)

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**

**Chapter 5:**

What is happening to my quiet, peaceful, _normal_ life? In just a few days, things have been nothing but jam packed with events and new surprises. I rather like surprises, especially if they involve cute purpled-eyed boys, but I hadn't expected anything like this. So now, I'm lying on my bed at 7 am in the morning, staring at my bright yellow ceiling that is starting to hurt my eyes. How long did that take to paint? I rolled off my bed and my feet met with the soft, cream colored carpeting. I woke up earlier today, though not surprising seeing as how the day before was so…different. And I was scheduled for another dose of that today.

My first day of school was uneventful up until the late afternoon. In the end, I just thanked Tamaki for the ride and high-tailed it inside using a key that Haru luckily did give me, along with the apartment key. When he got home, I gave him a mouthful and then he asked, "Why were you in a car full of guys?" I smiled and said, "Limo", running off to my room to do homework until Kazu came home. We had dinner and I offered to make stew, but Kazu went a little green. Stew reminded him of the lychee jelly smothered with teriyaki sauce topped with a slab of butter we made him eat. We had instant ramen instead. Now that I think about it, it's a brand new day in Tokyo. Who knows what awaits me?

Remembering the awkwardness I felt with non-uniform garments, I ventured out to the living room. But not before seeing the colorful array of 6 handprints on the white door. I was in such a rush yesterday that I forgot all about that. Moving on, Haru and Kazu were sitting at the dining area with fried eggs on a plate, plain porridge with ume, and…cookies? I grabbed a seat and the empty bowl and chopsticks, nodding at Kazu's "You're up earlier". Apparently Tuesdays & Wednesdays were when Haru had morning classes and Mondays & Thursday for afternoon classes, whilst Kazu spent Tuesdays at the bakery, Mondays & Wednesdays for morning classes, and the entire Thursday at Uni with breaks (I got that after the first 3 explanations). Meaning it's either the bus or walking for me Wednesdays. Anyhow, I asked Haru if my uniforms came in, to which he got a strange look on his face and said, "Don't get mad…but they came in Sunday and I forgot to tell you." I stared at him expressionless for a long time and smiled replying, "That's okay" and went to retrieve the box from where he'd put it. I went to my room and changed, coming back out only for the two boys to start laughing.

Man! I mean, I was appalled at how the uniforms looked but when you wear them it's torturous. This simply wouldn't do. I grabbed a pair of scissors and went back to my room, making a few quick alterations for now. I removed the collar and cut the lining into a swoop neckline. Then, I simply cut the sleeves off and re-sewed it so now it basically was a tank. The skirt was challenging. It had so many layerings, but I finally got it to a shorter length that was three inches above the knee. A lot of material was left over so I kept it for now, including the bow which I tied into my hair. I proceeded to make my way back to the living room with my canvas bag in tow, earning no laughter this time around. They were actually partially impressed with how I'd reworked the uniform. And, I'd rather be yelled at for messing with the dress code than die of awkwardness.

A few minutes later, Haru left for Uni to turn in an important paper before school actually started. I didn't think my novice-creations were complete yet, so I wanted an 'OK' to go buy supplies after school. He said "Yeah, sure, later" and was out the door, leaving Kazu and I to discuss some things. Like the bakery job and why I was in a limo with 6 boys. I reassured him there was one other girl, and I'd be going to their Club again. He thought it was great that I joined something on my first day. If only he knew.

Still, the emerald-eyed boy offered me some of the cookies he made and I sneaked one before he could pack it for me.

…THEY WERE HEAVENLY.

I grabbed my less exciting corn-tofu-egg soup and 6-piece salmon makizushi and followed Kazu out the door. I felt giddy from my first few days in Tokyo, but now I was finally going to ride a motorcycle! Or at least on the back of it. What I wasn't excited about was the skirt of my dress blowing in the breeze and the helmet hair I was going to have. Ah well, beggars can't be choosers. The ride to the Academy was plenty exciting, but I spent the majority of the ride burying my face into Kazu's button-up while he laughed at me. Though, the faces of the student population were very amusing as the bike revved in a parallel parked position. I lifted the plastic cover to give him a kiss on the cheek, waved, and skipped merrily to Class 1-A just as the clock struck 8. That last part was a lie. But I did walk the halls with more confidence than yesterday. They still stared due to my…ahem, _modified_ uniform but like I said: survive + staring + lecturing or suffocate + staring + front page 'NEW STUDENT FOUND DEAD' spread. Hm, that's a toughie.

When I entered the classroom, a lot of heads turned—not that a lot of people weren't already staring (glaring). And again, the chattering resumed with random mumblings of "_What_ is she _wearing_?", "I thought she would've left by now", "Oh, it's _her_ again". Ignoring all those remarks, I made my way to my desk, where the mobs of students parted for me like the Red Sea. But unlike the in History books, they did it out of disgust. I was surprised, however, to find that the Hitachiin twins were leaning casually against the wooden structure and grinning madly while Haruhi looked at them agitated. The twin on the right spoke up, "I see you got your uniform. Not bad."

I knew he was referring to the new style I adorned because both red-heads were examining my hurried work. I wasn't sure whether or not he was being sarcastic but replied anyways, "Um, thank you?" A wave of _déjà vu hit me as I remembered saying the exact same words to their comments the previous afternoon. "I wasn't about to wear that heavy costume to school. But it was pretty rushed…know any fabrics & crafts stores?" The twins tilted their heads at me. Oh right, rich people have their own designers. "There's some here in Tokyo, Tomato and Tokyu Hands."_

_This time, I tilted my head at Haruhi for an explanation. "My dad…um, sometimes gets stuff there for his job." This alarmed me a bit but I shrugged off the feeling and thanked her for the information. Looks like after the Club I'll be dragging Kazu to the closest stores from the Academy._

_But first, I have to learn. Our sensei came into the room and everyone casually slid into their seats. I waited for the twins to get their butts off my desk before sitting down as well. Into the first hour, I semi-listened to our teacher's analysis on a feudal era poem we were focusing on and how we had to interpret it ourselves. Then, came the easier stuff. I felt myself perk up a bit when we talked about different civilizations expanding and adapting to new technological advances. And when math rolled around, I was immersed in a world of numbers and fractions, calculating every step on paper and in my head. We were handed worksheets to start on for the remaining period before lunch, which wasn't a lot of time. But with the formulas lodged into my brain, I could finish a third of the problems before we were dismissed. (me: sadly I cannot draw out geometry problems D:)_

_1. (3x²-27)(8x²)6/_4(9-3x)(x²+3x)_ (x-3)/1*2x/(3-x)*6/1 x= -12_

_2. 49 =_(3x+8)_²/x² 7x=3x+8 x=2 _

3a. Find the next two in this sequence: 1, 64, 243, 256, 125, 36, ?, ?  
7=7¹ 1=8⁰

3b. Prove why 0.999... is the same as 1 whole number.  
x= 0.99999… 10x= 9.99999… 10x-x=9.99999…-0.99999… x=1

4. ABC is a right triangle with the size of angle ACB equal to 74 degrees. The lengths of the sides AM, MQ and QP are all equal. Find the measure of angle QPB.  
Angle A= 16˚, Angle QMA= 148˚ by Isosceles Triangle Th. Angle QPM= 32˚ ∴ Angle QPB= 148˚ by Supplement Th.

5. What is the area of a regular hexagon with sides 3 in. long?  
A= ½aP or A=6(½bh) A=23.4in_²_

Expand the following:  
6. (2x + y + 2z)2 = 4x2 + y2 + 4z2 + 4xy + 4yz + 8zx.

7. (x – 2y + z)2 = x2 + 4y2 + z2 – 4xy – 4yz + 2zx

8. (2p – 3q – r)2 = 4p2 + 9q2 + r2 – 12pq + 6qr – 4rp

9. Verify the identity: (1)/(1+sin^2a) + (1)/(1+cossec^2a)=1  
LHS=1/(1+sin^2a)+1/(1+1/(sin^2a)) 1/(1+sin^2a)+(sin^2a)/(sin^2a+1) (1+sin^2a)/(1+sin^2a) 1=RHS

Okay, number ten: 'A small plane left Tokyo at 11 pm and traveled at 180 m/h. And a jet left Tokyo and traveled in the same direction 720m/h. If the jet left Tokyo at 2 am at what time will the jet overtake the small plane?' This is easy! 720t=180(t+3) so the answer is—hey, what the hell?

I glanced at my sensei before turning around to see Hikaru and Kaoru pointing at Haruhi. "Really, guys? A paper ball?" I half-whispered.

"It wasn't us…" started Hikaru. "…it was Haruhi," finished Kaoru.

"Yes, of course. And I'm Seiobo the Sennin." What? I listened in class, sorta. The brothers shrugged at me and I sighed. "Okay, so what do you want?"

"We just want to compare our answers." I looked at them skeptically. "And Haruhi won't help us."

"I told you guys to do it yourself or you won't learn anything," she mumbled, not taking her eyes off the question, number seven to be exact. But they ignored her and continued, "What number are you on?"

"Eleven, if you hadn't bothered me." Their eyes widened and I saw Haruhi look a little surprised too on how far ahead I was. After all, expanding is no cake walk, and number nine would have taken a little bit of time. I snatched the twins' papers before they could stop me; Hikaru was stuck on 2 while Kaoru was on 3b. My left brow rose in a sarcastic kind of way and I handed them their papers back. "I'll help you guys, but I'm not letting you copy off my paper." They contemplated this for a while and finally agreed just as the bell went off. I frowned inwardly—I could have done another two or three problems if it weren't for the interruption. Gathering my things, I scanned over the rest of the questions. Just your basic factoring, graphing, parabolas, linear equations, and absolute value stuff. Easy enough. After shoving everything in my book bag, I looked up to see the twins looming over me. There weren't many people in the classroom now so I spoke in normal voice level, "What are y—" But I never got to finish my question because the two looped their arms around mine and high-tailed it out of the Class 1-A. Unfortunately, I fell short of touching the ground as they ran through the halls, earning several puzzled looks from the other students. We finally stopped at the door I recognized as none other than Music Room 3 and they kicked it open. On the other side, Tamaki looked up with a startled expression that turned panicky from seeing my state. My hair had gone awry and my dress was slightly ruffled up.

"What are you doing with my precious daughter?" He stood and waltzed over. Before he could reach me, the twins set me down and wrapped their arms around me in a strange hug, so I couldn't run away. I couldn't help but blush at the close proximity, which only deepened with their next words, "We have to take her measurements. For her outfits of course." Tamaki's expression turned appalled and I noticed the rest of the Host Club was present, but not nearly as forward as the Host King. I tried to force the blush away, but to no avail, "U-um, can't you guys just use my old physical exams? That way, no erm, measuring is needed."

"No way," said the one I presumed to be Hikaru, "You've probably grown since middle school."

"Besides, we need something more precise than that to fit your hourglass figure," said Kaoru. I examined myself through the parts where their arms weren't covering. I guess I was somewhat curvy…but I'm no supermodel. "Just by looking at you…you're probably around 34-25-33." They loosened their hold on me and held me at arms length. "Her waist can't be bigger than 24, Hikaru," Kaoru protested. With every comment, I felt the burning of my cheeks grow hotter and hotter. Tamaki was past looking merely _appalled_, he was gaping and turned a very odd color, apart from his flushing face. I heard a series of clicking and a different voice join in on the conversation, "According the file in store, her previous dimensions were 32-23-33."

I tried to glare at Kyouya menacingly but it didn't seem too intimidating. All arms disappeared around me to crowd around a picture that was pulled up on his laptop. The rest of the Hosts—with the exception of a undoubtedly confused Haruhi—stood closely to catch a glimpse of the photo. From the sidelines, I saw that it was me in a middle school uniform consisting of a navy sweater, gray miniskirt, black knee-highs, and black loafers. My hair was cropped shorter, stopping at my collarbone rather than reaching past my shoulders like it did now. "Yuki-chan looks so cute!" I paused momentarily at the name before remembering. It _had_ been a while since I've heard those words. I was so stunned at the nickname that I didn't realize they were pulling up even more photos. One with me in a white polo and striped navy tie, another in a polo with a navy sweater-vest, and one with a white blouse and loosely worn navy ribbon bow tie. Even up to an old elementary picture where my hair was in pigtails and I was clad in black—black plaid skirt with suspenders, black half-calves, matching black sailor hat with a blue ribbon hanging off, black loafers, and a white polo with a huge black-baby blue plaid bow.

My eye twitched in annoyance before I realized this was my chance to sneak away. Carefully, I re-shouldered my bag and backed away in long strides until I reached the door. My hand was on the door handle now and I eased the wood open. Slowly turning around, I tried to slip through the small crack I made but someone spoke up, "Okay, well, we better get started on your measurements. I'm starv—hey what are you doing?" I craned my neck to see everyone looking at me. Panicked, I slammed the door shut and sprinted down the corridors. Turning the corner, I accidentally slammed into someone. "Oh jeez, gomenasai! Are you alright? Here let me help you." I got up reached down to the person, offering a helping hand. However, she wasn't as level-headed as I was at the moment.

"WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU? I can't believe that someone like you is allowed to be here!" She smacked my hand aside and got up herself, walking away with what ever dignity was left. "Just trying to help…" I muttered after she left. Sighing at the scattered papers on the floor, I bent down to pick them up and shoved them back into my bag. When I finished, my gaze landed on two pairs of feet that cast a shadow over me. Looking up, I said two words to my capturers, "Oh no." Both gave a fox-like grin and I found myself literally swept off my feet.

"Why are you two devil twins restraining her?" I heard Tamaki yell once we reached the Music Room…again. It was true, however. The Hitachiin brothers whipped out some rope (I don't wanna know from where) and bound my arms and legs, making escape impossible in my case.

Instead of listening to Tamaki's complaints, the twins brought me behind a curtain and released me. Tired and hungry, I didn't put up much of a fight. "I'm not undressing, by the way," I noted. They grinned mischievously, "Then we'll have to do it for you."

I frowned, "That's harassment!" The two shrugged simultaneously, "We don't care." My brain rattled for some kind of compromise as Hikaru and Kaoru kept staring at me. Finally, I thought of something that just might work. Grabbing a pair of scissors on this nearby vanity, I made a small incision right at the hip bone and cut carefully, circling around my figure. The tank top portion became a little loose now that it was separated from the skirt. "Okay, how about I just tell you my bra size and you guys measure the rest. Deal?"

"Whatever," they replied. I shimmied out of the skirt and laid it aside, glad to have worn my old PE burumas under. "Let's get this over with, I wanna eat my lunch. Unless break ends before I can…" I said the last part under my breath. But my features grew more amused when I noticed the tinge of red on their faces. Obviously they didn't expect me to take off any form of clothing so willingly (Oo-er). Hikaru cleared his throat, "Right…bust size?"

"34B," I murmured quietly. "Sorry, can't hear you," he said. "34B…" I repeated a little louder, "band size was 30 ½, round up to get 31." They nodded, scribbling it down on a clipboard Kaoru produced. Then, Hikaru proceeded towards me with measuring tape while the other twin gently lifted my top until it rested above the natural waistline. The white, numbered band was cool against my skin, and wrapped around my figure semi-tightly. "24 inches…" Kaoru let go of my shirt to scribble it down. I lifted my arms up slightly so he could bring the tape around to my right leg. "About 33 ½." Hikaru grabbed the board and wrote it down this time. "Sit," said Kaoru, motioning to a chair. I complied and he slipped my foot out of my flats and put it against a cold metal contraption, "Size 6." For the rest of who knows how long, I listened to their commands as they continued to measure me—leg length, arm length, around the shoulder blades, ring size, wrist circumference, et cetera. Before I knew it, they had the entire form filled out and I stepped back into my skirt to follow the twins out from behind the curtain. Immediately, Tamaki jumped into the questions, "What did they do? Are you okay? You weren't harassed were you? Those evil twins probably scarred you for life! Did they touch you? Can you breathe fine? You must be so scared, my precious daughter! Why is your dress cut? How could I let this happen to you?" I stared at him for a while before side-stepping and walking over to where my bag was left. Picking it up, I shouted out a goodbye to which the twins replied, "That was fun. We should do it again some other time." I rolled my eyes and respectfully declined, wanting to get back to Class 1-A and eat my bento that was left behind. Closing the door, I heard Tamaki scream some kind of protest and interrogate the twins for details on what had happened.

"Hey, are you alright? Hikaru and Kaoru didn't do anything to you did they?" asked Haruhi when I plopped down into my seat. "Nah not really. They just kidnapped me so they could take my measurements, since I missed this year's physical exams. By the way, how did that turn out for you anyways? You know…in your situation." She sighed, "Definitely one that I probably will never forget." Haruhi didn't elaborate anymore, so I shrugged and took out my bento. The soup was still hot and I offered Haruhi one of my salmon sushi. The break was over just as I was putting away my things. I heard some gasps and exclaims of surprise over by the door. Looking up, I saw a frantic Tamaki making his way over. "Kioko! The twins wouldn't tell me anything. Please let me know you're okay!"

"Um, I'm fine Tamaki-sempai. Shouldn't you—er, get to class soon?" Instead of replying, he scooped me up into his arms and started spinning around, saying something about how he was glad I wasn't hurt or anything. I was touched by his actions, but the students' looks killed the mood. "Wow, Sempai overreact much?" I glanced over Tamaki's shoulder while he stopped spinning to see the twins smirking.

After Tamaki set me down and went off to his own classroom, I turned to face the trio. "Okay, what did you guys tell him?" They feigned innocence, "Why, whatever do you mean?" Knowing I wouldn't get much out of them, I went back to listening to the lesson on molecules, ionic compounds, theories, and dynamic equilibrium. Never did like science that much.

***FF-TIME SKIP!: Host Club Duties***

"The Host Club's new lady manager is a little…over the top, don't ya think?" I said to Haruhi as Renge chased down Honey and Mori-sempai from the burnt cookie comments. Without expecting an answer, I walked over to the Third Years. "Here, Honey-sempai, my uncle's friend baked these. He's works part time at his family's bakery." I watched his expression brighten as he continued to munch on a few of them. I made my way over to Haruhi just as she tried Renge's batch, so I took one for myself. "Definitely not up to Kazu standard."

I offered one to Haruhi and we compared the differences. "Could I try some?" said Hikaru. He took a bite out of the one I was eating, tearing off a part of it with his teeth. "No fair, I wanna try too," Kaoru stated, so I handed him a piece. Instead of taking it, he seized my wrist and ate the cookie, his lips brushing over my fingertips. "Wow, these really are good," they said casually, neglecting Tamaki's fuming looks. I took one of the remaining cookies and shoved one in his mouth, and he quieted immediately. "They're still soft and everything," he mused.

"Okay, listen up! All your characters are wrong—except for my darling Kyouya—so if you don't do something about it, all your guests will tire of you!" I stared at the blonde-haired girl, "Uh, I'm not even officially in the club—"

"Now then, let's get this right!" It's like she didn't hear me at all…

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I studied the slip of paper really quickly before going to my station: 'これは、はここで私の初めてではない。それは残酷な世界そこだ。通り正確に収容されていません。私は一生懸命それを右に取得しようとする...しかし、無駄に。物事はハードコアを得た。多分私はちょうど私の時間を無駄にしています。たぶん、もしかしたら、私は方法を見つけることができます。しかし、私はあなたの助けが必要です。これは私が生きていて人生ではありません！' Okay, easy enough. I put on a grim expression and ruffled up my fake prisoner's outfit. Taking a seat at the booth ahead, I stared into the purple eyes of the boy sitting across from me and picked up the phone. "So, what brings you to these parts? Not like you…with the status you have to maintain." He looked down a bit, "I've realized that there are bigger things in life than to be loved by those who are blinded by sheer appreciation of looks and standards. The life of loneliness calls out to me…and I wanted to hear what you had to say."

I looked at him with a raised brow, "Being alone gets you nowhere. Just look at me! This is ain't my first time in here. You should know it's a cruel world out there. The streets aren't exactly accommodating. I try so hard to get it right...but to no avail. Things got hardcore. Maybe I'm just wasting my time. But maybe, just maybe, I can find a way. But I can't do it alone. This isn't the life I want to LIVE—!" I stood up quickly—a little too quickly—as I flattened my palms against the air, but ended up falling over and knocking down the entire stand. "CUT!"

"Sorry, sorry! I don't even get why I'm in this movie…and in a prisoner's outfit? This is just detention! There's not even any glass in place and the phone cord isn't even connected," I pointed out, waving the phone freehandedly. "Can I change out? This costume is starting to chafe." Renge didn't look very pleased with me and turned away to redo my part, so I sneaked off to where the twins were sitting. "She's very…assertive." They nodded in response and I waited with them for a while. Then, a crash was heard. "What the—?"

I ran around the corner and almost collided with Tamaki's back. Following his gaze, I saw Haruhi kneeling on the ground and these two guys just standing there. Furious, I ran over before the blonde boy could do anything and pinned both guys to the wall. It made for a weird sight, with my height and all, but my cold glare made up for it. "Which one of you did this?" I growled out. Haruhi voided the accusations and I turned to look at her, then back at the boys, who were whimpering a bit. "Oh. Well, why didn't you just say so?" I said cheerfully, letting the two go. They scrambled off with lightning speed. "You alright?" She nodded and put her contacts back in and we turned just in time to see three things: Tamaki's shocked expression, Renge's eccentricity flaring like mad, and Ootori slam a rock into the camera lenses.

My jaw dropped—I know it did. I think it was from the fact that the film crew was freaking out mixed with Renge's confusion on what just happened. "I think you've caused enough trouble. Please stop being such a pest." (me: I think he meant to use a different word.) I smoothly glided over to Kyouya, "Don't you think that was a little too much? She does think you're her dream man…" In whatever world she's living on…

But like all matters, Haruhi the Sensible comes to the rescue. I made my way over and offered a hand to Renge, who accepted it hesitantly. "Let's go. I'll let you have the last bit of my cookies…after I change."

It didn't take too long for me to get back into my 'uniform' when we arrived back at Music Room 3. I took out my new lime green cell phone and texted Kazu to pick me up at the Academy. The rest of the Club and I sat on the couches and shared the remaining portion of the cookies (except for Ootori who's too cool for sweets…even once in a while). A few seconds later, a familiar melody rang out. (me: hehe, cue the music! The real song order isn't like this though…)

_'Sou sou dakara boku mo, hitokiwa kagayaite itain da. Me wo tojite kokoro ni chikau. Nagareboshi ni yume wo takushite. Hey! ...Sonna ni utsumuite bakari icha. Mieru mono mo mienaku naru kara. Sora miagete—keep your head up! H— '_

Realizing it was mine, I dug around for my phone and flipped it open to reveal the text. I read over it quickly, and snapped the phone shut. "Well, this has been great. But my ride will be here soon…so…I'll see you guys tomorrow, I guess." I was about to get up before Tamaki snatched my cell and started typing away. "What are you doing?"

"Saving the members of the Host Club's numbers. In case you need us." I blinked at him, "Uh, okay." He continued typing away until he suddenly stopped, "Kioko…? Who's 'Stud Muffin'?"

"Oh, right. That's my uncle. I didn't know at first, either. He's the one who got me that phone and set everything," I explained, taking in the amused, confused, and weirded-out faces. Tamaki breathed a sigh of relief and announced that everyone will escort me to the school stairs. Great.

We walked out of the doors of Ouran just in time to see Kazu zooming down the path to greet us. He turned off the engine and removed his helmet to smile at us. "So this is the club?" I nodded, "Pretty much." Kazu motioned for me to come closer. "Why is there a little kid?" he whispered.

I looked over to Honey-sempai, "Hate to break it to you, but, that "kid" is one or two years younger than you." His eyes widened at my response. "Yeah, I know." After he recovered from that, we made swift introductions. "So you're not Kioko's uncle?" asked Haruhi. "Are you her secret lover or something?" I heard Hikaru say. Tamaki scolded him for being so forward, but he wanted to know too. I looked over at Kazu and he stared back.

"Yup—we're an item. Been meeting up ever since I was 14," said Kazu, pulling me in to hug me by the shoulders. We both grinned widely. "B-but, t-that means you were t-ten!" Tamaki started freaking out. I examined Kazu's outfit: navy + blue pinstripe dress shirt rolled up to the elbows to reveal fingerless biker gloves, dark gray jeans, and hi-tops. Not very intimidating…but I continued, "Yeah, isn't it great?" My brown eyes met his green ones and we shared what would be a "loving look", but we were really laughing on the inside as Tamaki started hyperventilating and consulting 'Mommy'. Finally, the both of us couldn't take it anymore and we busted out laughing. Tamaki paused mid-complaint and looked at us, "What's so funny?"

I gasped for air and said between breaths, "Y-you..! You t-thought…oh m-man…I can't b-believe they..!" The black-haired boy beside me was laughing equally as hard, if not harder. "I don't get it, so who is he?" said Kaoru. After finally getting enough oxygen to calm us down I answered him, "He's my uncle's best friend. Ever since they were 4-yrs old or somethin. Last time I saw him and Haru was when I was 13." I waited for them to take this in, but Kazu kept going, "You guys should come by some time and check out the band." They held curious expressions but I intervened, "Right, okay, gotta go and buy, uh, stuff. And do homework. Later!"

I grabbed the extra helmet and clipped it on, waiting for the Hisakawa boy to finish up. "Alright, I'll see you guys when I see you. And look after her and all that. Before I forget, I brought along some stuff from the bakery." I looked to him when he said this, and to his word Kazu produced a bag filled with fresh bread rolls and scones. We mounted the motorcycle and I held on tight. Then, we were off to find the nearest fabrics-crafts store.

"Kioko, don't tell me you're afraid of what your friends will think," said Kazu as the streets zoomed past us in one big blur. "Just shutup and, er, ride...it's Haru I'm worried about." I mumbled the last bit. The emerald-eyed boy's shoulders shook as he laughed, and I could feel it reverberate through his back. It was true, though. Haru could get a little authoritative.

Or maybe a lot.

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**Chapter FIVE est fini (finally).** Again, thanks to all who've ever reviewed so far. Special thanks to **RisingAngel07** who's been so patient with me, even though I update like a snail (an overweight snail!). **Much love to you peoples! :)**

I'll be going somewhere for a week so I had to cut this chapter short...and I'll still be writing (on pen to paper xP) during the car ride. But I won't be able to update until I get back. However, if any of you have suggestions for my story I'm open to ideas. :)

**Song used:  
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_"Yeah so I, too, want to shine particularly bright. I close my eyes and make a vow in my heart. And entrust my dreams to that shooting star…Hey! ...If you keep hanging your head like that, you won't even be able to see the things you can see. Look up at the sky—keep your head up!"_**  
"Nagareboshi (Shooting Star)" – by Homemade Kazoku; used in Shippuden**

**Ed: **This isn't Risembool. Hey, Al, where'd ya go?  
**Hitachiin twins: **Hey, Boss, he sounds just like you.  
**Tamaki: **It can't be! He must be an impostor.  
**Hikaru: **I didn't think...  
**Kaoru: **...an impostor would be so...  
**Ed:** C'mon. Say "small". I dare you.  
**Tamaki: **Do you think he has the same blood type as *gulp* Kyouya and Honey-sempai?  
***The three shudder at the thought***  
**Me: **Ed! How's my favorite shortie?  
**Ed: **WHO ARE YOU CALLING A MICRO-SIZED HALF-PINT WHO DIDN'T GROW UP BECAUSE HE DOESN'T DRINK MILK?  
**Me: **Yeah, yeah. You're so adorable! *hugs*

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**© 2010 MidnightThunder. All rights reserved. **Disclaimer at the top of the page; please view. I love you all but any plagiarism results in giving me permission to kick your ass into the middle of May. **Thx. :)**


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